Can Gabriel Geay Become Third Tanzanian to Win Berlin Marathon?

Berlin will be the center of the distance-running world tomorrow, Sunday, September 27, 2026, when Tanzania’s Gabriel Gerald Geay takes on one major task: to challenge for victory at the BMW Berlin Marathon and attempt to write a new chapter in Tanzania’s history at one of the world’s biggest marathon races.

Geay enters the race with a personal and Tanzanian national record of 2:03:00, a time he clocked in Valencia in 2022 when he finished second. According to the Berlin Marathon organisers, that time ranks Geay 17th on the all-time list of the fastest marathon runners. He is also the fastest athlete on this year’s start list.

That alone makes the 29-year-old Tanzanian one of the biggest names to watch in the men’s race.
But behind Sunday’s race lies a major piece of history that Geay has an opportunity to continue.
Should he win tomorrow, Geay would become the third Tanzanian to claim the Berlin Marathon title, following in the footsteps of legendary runners Suleiman Nyambui and Alfredo Shahanga, who left a significant mark for Tanzania in the late 1980s.

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Nyambui began writing that chapter in 1987 when he won the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:11. He did not stop there, returning in 1988 to successfully defend his title in 2:11:45.
The following year, in 1989, Tanzania continued its dominance through Alfredo Shahanga, who won the race in 2:10:11. That meant Tanzania had a Berlin Marathon champion for three consecutive years, from 1987 to 1989.

Now, 37 years after Shahanga claimed the title, Geay arrives in Berlin with an opportunity to try to bring the crown back to Tanzania.

GEAY: I AM IN GOOD SHAPE

For Geay, this year’s race is also an opportunity to return to a course where things did not go according to plan for him last year.

Speaking yesterday, Friday, September 25, during preparations for the race, Geay said he was happy to have another opportunity to compete in Berlin after being forced to withdraw from last year’s race because of the high temperatures.

“I am glad that I have a second chance to run in Berlin. I am in good shape and hope to run a very good time,” Geay said.

The statement shows that Geay enters this year’s race determined to perform better after his disappointing experience in the 2025 edition.

According to the organisers, Geay was among the athletes who had to withdraw from last year’s race because of the extreme heat. His return to Berlin now comes with greater experience and after demonstrating his ability to compete at the highest level.

Geay also arrives as the defending Daegu Marathon champion in South Korea, where he retained his title this year in 2:08:11. In 2025, he also won the Daegu Marathon in 2:05:20 before finishing fourth at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:04:36.

Therefore, alongside his 2:03:00 national record, Geay enters Berlin with recent experience of winning major marathon races.

MAJOR CHALLENGERS

However, the road to victory will not be easy.

The start list features several athletes capable of challenging for the title, with Ethiopia providing a strong contingent expected to fight for the leading positions.

Guye Adola is one of the most prominent names because of his history in Berlin. In 2017, he finished second behind Eliud Kipchoge, running 2:03:46, which remains his personal best.

Four years later, Adola returned to Berlin and won the race in 2021. This year, he comes back in strong form after winning the Rotterdam Marathon in 2:03:54, a time that brought him close to his personal best.

The 35-year-old Adola has said he is well prepared and believes he is in the best shape of his life.
Geay will also face Ethiopia’s Getaneh Molla, who has a personal best of 2:03:34, and Shura Kitata, who has run 2:03:59.

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Molla is one of the fastest marathon runners in the field, while Kitata arrives in Berlin having improved his form this year.

Another athlete to watch is Dejene Hailu, who has a personal best of 2:04:15, while Kenya will be represented by Erick Sang, who has a best of 2:04:30.

Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega is another major name in the field. Barega, the Olympic 10,000m champion from Tokyo 2020, has a marathon personal best of 2:05:00 and is expected to attempt to improve that mark in Berlin.

The group is further strengthened by Taresa Tolosa, who has run 2:05:17, Tadu Abate with 2:05:38 and Asefa Boki with 2:05:40.

Japan also has a large contingent of runners with personal bests between 2:05 and 2:08, meaning the race is expected to feature strong competition from the opening kilometres to the finish.

The organisers have also highlighted Germany’s Sebastian Hendel as one of the leading home athletes. Hendel has a personal best of 2:07:33, while Haftom Welday has run 2:08:13 and Aaron Bienenfeld has a best of 2:08:47.

2:01 PACE EXPECTED

The Berlin Marathon has built a reputation as one of the fastest marathon courses in the world, and expectations for another fast race remain high this year.

Race Director Mark Milde has said they expect an exciting race, with the leading group potentially setting a pace aimed at around 2:01.

The course record is currently held by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, who ran 2:01:09 in 2022. However, any attempt to challenge that record will require a strong battle among the leading group.

Sabastian Sawe, who had been one of the most anticipated names in the race, has withdrawn because of injury. His absence has changed the composition of the field, leaving the remaining athletes to fight for the top positions.

TANZANIA LOOKS TO GEAY

Apart from Nyambui and Shahanga, Tanzania has had other athletes who have performed strongly in Berlin.

Gidamis Shahanga finished second in the race in 1991, while the current generation has continued to be represented by athletes such as Joseph Panga, who finished inside the top 10 in 2025.
In the women’s race, Magdalena Shauri made history in 2023 when she finished third at the Berlin Marathon.

Geay’s participation this year therefore adds another chapter to Tanzania’s long history in the race.
Geay himself has had a long journey in the marathon. After failing to finish his first marathon in Otsu, Japan, in 2020, he went on to demonstrate his ability over the distance.

In 2021, he ran 2:04:55 in Milan before setting Tanzania’s national marathon record of 2:03:00 in Valencia in 2022.

In 2023, he finished second at the Boston Marathon in 2:06:04, one of the results that established him as a major name on the international marathon scene.

After several challenges, Geay returned strongly in 2025, winning the Daegu Marathon in 2:05:20 before finishing fourth in Amsterdam in 2:04:36. In 2026, he successfully defended his Daegu title in 2:08:11.

NOW IT IS BERLIN’S TURN

Tomorrow, all that history will be behind him as he faces the 42.195 kilometres of Berlin.

For Tanzania, a victory by Geay would mean more than a medal or prize; it would represent a return to the top of a race that Tanzanian athletes dominated for three consecutive years from 1987 to 1989.

For Geay, however, the task will be to focus on the race itself, manage his pace and energy through to the finish while competing against some of the fastest marathon runners in the world.

His statement yesterday that he is in good shape and hopes to run a very good time clearly reflects what he is targeting in Berlin.

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If his body, preparation and race strategy come together through the final kilometres, Geay will have the opportunity to write his name alongside Nyambui and Shahanga on the list of Tanzanians who have won the Berlin Marathon.

This year’s BMW Berlin Marathon is expected to attract more than 56,000 participants from 162 nations over the 42.195km distance, while the elite race is expected to feature intense competition.