Eventual winner Eliud Kipchoge began the race with three pacemakers dedicated to him. After 5 km the gap between him and the Kipsang group was 9 seconds.[3][4] After 15 km two of the pacemakers were unable to continue pacing him. The remaining pacemaker dropped out after 25 kilometres, leaving Kipchoge to cover the final 17 km alone.[5] Kipchoge had planned to run with a pacemaker through 30 km; this adversity "was unfortunate," he reflected post-race, "but I had to believe".[6] Kipchoge accelerated, covering the second half (1:00:33) of the race faster than the first half (1:01:06).[7] In sunny weather conditions, the temperature was 14 °C (57 °F) during the start and 18 °C (64 °F) when Kipchoge crossed the finish line.[8][9][10]
Before the race, Kipchoge stated that he planned to run a new personal best.[11][12] The prize money he made for his Berlin run was €120,000, consisting of €30,000 for finishing in less than 2:04 hours, €40,000 for the win and a further €50,000 for setting a new world record.[3] The world record set during this run was the 8th world record in 20 years in the men's marathon at the Berlin marathon.[3] During the run, Kipchoge used Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% shoes.[13][14]
The pace during the run averaged to 2:53/km (4:38/mile). The second half of the race in 1:00:33, and the last 10 km was covered in 28:33.[15][16]
It was the most evenly paced marathon ever recorded, with the fastest 5 km interval covered in 14:18 and the slowest in 14:37, a difference of only 19 seconds.[17]
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