The adidas Runners City Night 2025 with a rush of records

Get a taste of the event atmosphere

The snappy texts in the SCC EVENTS newsletters often come from Jakob Wartchow. He has worked in the communications department for six years. His responsibilities include writing, image searches, and compiling articles. To make the whole experience even more authentic, he stood at the starting line for the 10 km run on the Ku' Damm on the evening of July 26th. To be infected by the thrill just before the starting gun, to feel the tension in the first few meters, to celebrate the rush of crossing the finish line, the medal, and the Erdinger non-alcoholic beer as a reward. That was the plan. He also wanted it to be fast. The target was under 40 minutes. An ambitious goal for a trained soccer player. Jakob, who scores the occasional goal as a winger for his club SSC Teutonia in his free time, doesn't actually find running that exciting as a sport. But he's fit. And he has talent. For the first 5 km, he let his work colleague Philipp pull him along, then he enjoyed the second half in the crowd. Four times, he let his family (brother, mother, grandfather, and friends) cheer him on at the route's hot spot, Adenauer Platz, the hub of the race. After 39:50 minutes, he crossed the finish line under the illuminated gate of the adidas Runners City Night. Perfect work! And one thing is clear: Writing casual texts about the SCC EVENTS experiences is now even easier for him.

^{Well done! - Jakob has acquired a taste for the medal © SCC EVENTS / Jakob Wartchow}

Read about what else happened at Berlin's fastest night here:

The skies over Berlin

Just in time for the event to begin, the skies over Berlin cleared. The Ku' Damm and the Gedächtniskirche shone with unusual sunlight, after thick clouds and rain had dampened the mood almost continuously in the days before. "Berlin's fastest night" could begin.

Exciting skater race on the Ku'damm

At 6:00 p.m., around 500 skaters set off down the capital's magnificent boulevard, bringing their skates and spectators to their feet. The impressive combination of technique, speed, and elegance with which this sport presents itself never ceases to amaze. After a thrilling final sprint, Lilly Weidener prevailed against last year's winner Franziska Petry in 18:42 minutes. In the men's race, Alexander Bastidas once again won with a start-to-finish victory in 15:34 minutes, with Tobias Hecht taking second. The 5-kilometer runners followed at 7:00 p.m. They also took advantage of the fast course and rewarded themselves with personal bests. Luca Fahrenson won the race in 14:34 minutes and Lea Brückner in 17:07 minutes.

^{The inline skaters opened Berlin's fastest night © Tilo Wiedensohler}

Largest field of participants in the event's history

Then the moment finally arrived: The largest field of participants in the history of the adidas Runners City Night took shape (a total of 14,572 athletes registered for all competitions). The fact that not only quantity but also quality was represented was already evident during the warm-up run of the top athletes in the front starting area. The national who's who of the road running scene was represented in both the women's and men's races. But that's not all: This event is also increasingly attracting top athletes from abroad – including Hanne Verbruggen, Maor Tiyouri, Chloé Herbiet, and Eilish McColgan, who competed in last year's Olympic Games. Eilish McColgan, winner of the 2023 GENERALI BERLIN HALF MARATHON, assumed the role of favorite, with a new course record already in the air.

^{Almost there – participants just before the finish line © Tilo Wiedensohler}

Course records for women and men

The race began at a fast pace for both the women's and men's races. By the intermediate mark at kilometer four, the times were already well below the previous course records. Two somewhat more cautious kilometers followed, but they still gave hope for new personal bests on the Kurfürstendamm. Mamiyo Hirsuato initially pulled away from the field and at one point held a large lead. But the chasing pack led by Hendrik Pfeiffer turned things around from kilometer seven. With an impressive final sprint over the final two kilometers, Pfeiffer secured the new course record in 28:27 minutes to thunderous applause. Second place went to Filimon Abraham (28:30 minutes), with Aaron Bienenfeld third in 28:34 minutes. The women's race also produced a remarkable result, one that was not entirely expected. It wasn't the favorite Eilish McColgan who dominated the race, but Chloé Herbiet surprised everyone with an outstanding run, also setting a new course record with a time of 31:12 minutes. McColgan followed in second place with a time of 31:31 minutes, and Esther Pfeiffer took third place in 31:39 minutes.

^{Hendrik Pfeiffer at his new course record! © Tilo Wiedensohler}