Eliud Kipchoge won the 2018 Berlin Marathon in a then-world-record time of 2:01:39.
Kipchoge broke the previous men’s marathon world record by 78 seconds, the largest improvement to the record in more than half a century. He ran the race alone for much of the final section and crossed the finish line at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
The performance was especially notable because Berlin’s flat course and carefully managed pacing conditions have often produced major records. Kipchoge’s time surpassed Dennis Kimetto’s 2:02:57 from the 2014 Berlin Marathon.
The 2018 mark was ratified as an official world record because it was achieved in a standard competition under governing-body rules. It was later lowered again by Kipchoge in 2022, so the 2018 figure is best described as a former world record.