Nationality patterns of the fastest marathon runners across age groups in the Berlin marathon
8 affiliations
- 1Liberal Arts Department, American University of the Middle East
- 2Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich
- 3Department of Sports, Higher Institute of Educational Sciences of the Douro
- 4School of Health and Caring Sciences, University of West Attica
- 5Department of Physiology, Federal University of Sao Paulo
- 6Centre of Sport Activities, Brno University of Technology
- 7Department of Physical Education, Federal University of Viçosa
- 8Medbase St. Gallen Am Vadianplatz
Abstract
While the dominance of elite East African marathoners is well-established, little is known about the nationality distribution of the fastest age group marathoners. This study examined how the nationality distribution of the fastest marathon runners varies across age groups and sexes in the ‘Berlin Marathon’. We analysed race data from 825,886 finishers (627,962 men and 197,807 women) of the ‘Berlin Marathon’ from 1999 to 2024. Finishers were grouped by five-year age brackets, sex and nationality. We examined performance across five analytical layers: (1) all runners, (2) top 100, (3) top 30, (4) top 10 and (5) the single fastest runner per country and age group. Linear regression models were applied to both the entire dataset and the subset of the top 100 finishers per age group to assess the predictive value of age and nationality on finish time. Most finishers were from Germany, with the USA becoming the second-most represented country after 2017. In younger age groups (20–39 years), the fastest average times for both sexes were achieved by runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. In middle-aged (40–49 years) and older groups (50 + years), top performances shifted toward runners from Germany, the United States, Japan, and Switzerland. In regression models, age group and nationality explained only 4.1% of the variance in male finish times and 2.9% in females across the full dataset. However, for the top 100 runners, explanatory power rose significantly to 52.8% for men and 48.6% for women. The nationality distribution of the fastest age group marathoners shifts with age in the ‘Berlin Marathon’: East African nations dominate at younger ages, while Western Europe and East Asian countries lead among older runners. These results emphasize the global expansion of competitive master running and the role of cultural and demographic factors in shaping endurance performance across the lifespan.
Related
- Cytokine kinetics in nasal mucosa and sera: new insights in understanding upper-airway disease of marathon runners
- Acute Neuromuscular Responses and Interlimb Asymmetry Following 5 km and Half-Marathon Running in Recreational Runners.
- MRI Assessment of Talar Microstructure in Amateur Marathon Runners: A Cross-Sectional Study with Single-Subject Finite Element Analysis.
- Effects of hip stability training versus standard care on Q-angle and pain in marathon runners with patellofemoral pain syndrome: A retrospective cohort study
- Evaluation of Carotid artery Elasticity Functional Changes in Amateur Marathon Runners
BibTeX
@article{duric2026nationality,
title = {{Nationality patterns of the fastest marathon runners across age groups in the Berlin marathon}},
author = {Sasa Duric and Elias Villiger and Pedro Forte and Pantelis T. Nikolaidis and Marilia Santos Andrade and Daniela Chlibkova and Luciano Bernardes Leite and Katja Weiss and Thomas Rosemann and Beat Knechtle},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-62904-6},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62904-6},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nationality patterns of the fastest marathon runners across age groups in the Berlin marathon
AU - Sasa Duric
AU - Elias Villiger
AU - Pedro Forte
AU - Pantelis T. Nikolaidis
AU - Marilia Santos Andrade
AU - Daniela Chlibkova
AU - Luciano Bernardes Leite
AU - Katja Weiss
AU - Thomas Rosemann
AU - Beat Knechtle
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-62904-6
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-62904-6
AB - While the dominance of elite East African marathoners is well-established, little is known about the nationality distribution of the fastest age group marathoners. This study examined how the nationality distribution of the fastest marathon runners varies across age groups and sexes in the ‘Berlin Marathon’. We analysed race data from 825,886 finishers (627,962 men and 197,807 women) of the ‘Berlin Marathon’ from 1999 to 2024. Finishers were grouped by five-year age brackets, sex and nationality. We examined performance across five analytical layers: (1) all runners, (2) top 100, (3) top 30, (4) top 10 and (5) the single fastest runner per country and age group. Linear regression models were applied to both the entire dataset and the subset of the top 100 finishers per age group to assess the predictive value of age and nationality on finish time. Most finishers were from Germany, with the USA becoming the second-most represented country after 2017. In younger age groups (20–39 years), the fastest average times for both sexes were achieved by runners from Kenya and Ethiopia. In middle-aged (40–49 years) and older groups (50 + years), top performances shifted toward runners from Germany, the United States, Japan, and Switzerland. In regression models, age group and nationality explained only 4.1% of the variance in male finish times and 2.9% in females across the full dataset. However, for the top 100 runners, explanatory power rose significantly to 52.8% for men and 48.6% for women. The nationality distribution of the fastest age group marathoners shifts with age in the ‘Berlin Marathon’: East African nations dominate at younger ages, while Western Europe and East Asian countries lead among older runners. These results emphasize the global expansion of competitive master running and the role of cultural and demographic factors in shaping endurance performance across the lifespan.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -