The Berlin Marathon is one of the six biggest races of the long-distance calendar each year (along with Tokyo, Boston, London, Chicago and New York), but the course in the German capital has a habit of throwing up world records. Last year was no exception, with Eliud Kipchoge going quickest ever in the men's event, but with qualification for next year's Olympics available for the elite race and a total of 45,000 runners of various abilities taking to the streets, this about more than just times.
The Berlin Marathon 2023 is airing for FREE in various countries, including on ORF in Austria, RTVE Play in Spain and on the Olympics Channel in certain territories around the world. Pay-TV options are also available via Flo Sports and its streaming service FloTrack in the UK, US and Australia. But don't worry if you're abroad while the games are playing, because you can watch the Berlin Marathon 2023 live streams from anywhere with a VPN.
► Date: Sunday, September 24
► Time: 3:15 am ET / 12:15 am PT / 9:15 am CET / 8.15 am UK / 5:15 pm AEST
AUT: ORF (FREE stream)
ESP: RTVE Play (FREE stream)
FRA: L'Equipe (FREE stream)
US / UK / AUS: FloTrack
Stream anywhere: ExpressVPN
Nearly a year ago to the day, Eliud Kipchoge made history while pounding the streets of Berlin. Long regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners in history, the Kenyan took 30 seconds off the world record over the 26-mile (and a bit) distance with a time of 2:01:09. The 38-year-old has said "Berlin is like a home for me" ahead of the defence of his title and Kipchoge has also won in 2015, 2017 and 2018 in the German capital – only on his debut in 2013 has he ever not won here. His biggest competition comes from compatriot Amos Kipruto, last year's London Marathon winner, and with Kipchoge off the pace earlier this year in finish sixth in the hilly Boston he'll be wanting to stamp his authority on the discipline again.
In the women's event, 2022 champion Tigist Assefa is also back to defend the title she won 12 months ago. The former 800m specialist proved her decision move up in distance was a shrewd one in taking a staggering 18 minutes off her personal best to cross the line in a time of 2:15:37. An Ethiopian record, that time was also the fifth-fastest in history and course record in Assefa's second attempt at the distance. Her biggest test may come from Sheila Chepkirui, who finished third in the Commonwealth Games just over 12 months ago, while Ethiopian trio Tigist Abayechew, Workenesh Edesa and Hiwot Gebrekidan are all sub-2:20 runners at their best.
If you're planning to watch the Berlin Marathon 2023 on your TV or your laptop, keep reading for your entire list of options.
How to watch Berlin Marathon 2023 in France, Spain and Austria for free
Good news for long-distance running fans in France, Spain and Austria – you can watch all the action from the Berlin Marathon 2023 on free-to-air streaming services.
In France, the free streaming service L'Equipe is the place to go for the race. In Spain, meanwhile, state broadcaster RTVE will be showing the Berlin Marathon 2023 live on TV and via its streaming service RTVE Play. If you're in Austria, streaming service ORF is the place to go for the event.
In each of those three countries, the Berlin Marathon 2023 will begin at 9.15 am CET.
Remember, if you're trying to access your regular stream from France, Spain or Austria while you're abroad, you might want to try a VPN to allow you to watch all the action.
How to watch Berlin Marathon 2023 in the US, UK and Australia
In the US, UK and Australia, FloTrack holds the streaming rights to the Berlin Marathon — this athletics-centric streaming service costs US$29.99 per month, or US$12.49 per month if you sign up for a whole year's subscription (that totals US$149.99 for a year).
You can use FloTrack to stream the race beginning 3:15 am ET / 12:15 am PT / 8:15 am UK / 5:15 pm AEST — sorry, US viewers, but it's a morning start in the German capital for this one — and you can sign up to FloTrack here.
Remember, if you're away from the US, UK or Australia at the minute, you'll need a VPN to ensure you can still watch the Berlin Marathon 2023 live stream without being geo-blocked. Keep reading on to find out how to get yourself set up.
How to watch the Berlin Marathon on the Olympic Channel
This is a bit of a long list but if you live in Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan then we've got some good news for you.
In those territories listed above, you can watch the Berlin Marathon 2023 live and for free on the Olympic Channel. Given the race is a qualifier for next year's Paris Olympics, we guess that makes sense.
Traveling abroad right now? Make sure you get yourself a VPN to ensure you don't miss a second of the Berlin Marathon 2023 live stream.
How to watch Berlin Marathon 2023 everywhere else
Wherever you live, there's a good possibility that a national broadcaster is streaming the Berlin Marathon 2023, particularly if your country has a runner in the race.
However, there's a possibility that there's no easy way of watching the race. Thankfully, you can solve this issue with a Virtual Private Network (a VPN).
A VPN lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch events like the Berlin Marathon 2023 tournament even if it is not directly broadcasting where you are. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch.
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
