Preparing for the Berlin Marathon 2027: date, ballot and training plan

How do you enter the Berlin Marathon 2027?

Entry goes through a ballot, open from October 1 to November 12, 2026 on the organizer's official website. Results are emailed on December 3, 2026. Entering the ballot is free: the entry fee, listed at €215, is only charged to runners who get a bib, from December 4, 2026.

Qualifying times exist for fast runners (for example 2:45 for men and 3:10 for women born between 1983 and 2009, on a marathon run within the last two years), but the organizer states that they do not guarantee a place. Entries are personal, non-transferable and non-refundable, and open to runners born in 2009 or earlier.

The flattest course of the Majors

Berlin is a fast-time marathon: the organizer describes it as the flattest course of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and thirteen marathon world records have been set on it. The finish line comes right after you run through the Brandenburg Gate, the most symbolic moment of the race.

• — Date: Sunday, September 26, 2027.
• — Time limit: 6 hours 15 minutes.
• — Aid stations: 15, every 1.5 to 3 miles, with Maurten drink mix at about miles 5.6, 9.3, 12.4, 15.5, 18.6 and 22.4, and a Maurten gel at about mile 17.1.

With tens of thousands of runners, the first miles are crowded: starting in the right corral and accepting a few lost seconds early beats costly zigzagging. On a course this flat, the plan's instruction is simple: run the first miles slightly slower than goal pace, then hold an even pace until around mile 22.

When should you start training?

For a marathon on September 26, 2027, a 16-week plan starts on June 6, 2027 and a 12-week plan on July 4. Most of the training load therefore falls in July and August, so plan around summer holidays and the heat.

The Running Workout marathon plan builds marathon pace in blocks that get longer week after week, and sends each workout to your watch through Garmin Connect. On race day, the Race workout on your watch carries your pace range. Your connected assistant (Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini) reads your actual sessions from Garmin and can adjust what comes next after a missed or unusually hot week.

• — June: gradual mileage and long runs at easy pace.
• — July and August: marathon-pace blocks and long runs finishing at goal pace, in the cooler hours of the day.
• — September: taper before race day.

Frequently asked questions