Berlin Marathon named ‘Marathon of the Decade’

July 11, 2009

For the first time in its history, AIMS, the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races, is conferring a one-of-kind honour, ‘The Marathon of the Decade, and named the real,-Berlin Marathon as its first recipient.

AIMS is thus giving recognition to the important achievements of the Berlin Marathon with its unparalleled series of World records over the past decade. Six world records, from 1998 to 2008, document the high quality of the Berlin event – a performance never before achieved by any other Marathon event.

AIMS not only took the quality of the top performances into consideration, but also the incredibly high number of runners (from over 100 countries) who competed. With over 35,000 finishers last year, the Berlin race second in the world in participation.

The Berlin Marathon began in 1974 under the direction of Horst Milde (Race Director until 2004) with 286 runners in the Grunewald Forest; In 1981, the race “moved” to the city with the start at the Reichstag; starting in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall – with a then record number of 25,000 runners (the limit at the time) – and the live television broadcasting in Japan, the marathon joined the ranks of the top events.

“For AIMS, the Berlin Marathon is an excellent event, which we are proud of, which has written international sport history through its success, and which provides an excellent example of how through good cooperation with the institutions in a city, sport can positively affect the lives of its citizens,” said AIMS President Hiroaki Chosa.