BMW Berlin Marathon 2026: fully electric BMW i3 leads the field as over 84,000 runners take part

The event

Germany's capital is once again hosting the BMW Berlin Marathon this weekend, one of the largest and fastest marathon events in the world. According to a BMW Group press release, more than 84,000 active participants from 162 nations are taking part, ranging from recreational runners to world-class elites, alongside handbike and wheelchair competitors.

BMW as title sponsor

BMW is serving as title sponsor of the marathon for the 15th time, and this year is supporting the event with a fully electric vehicle fleet. Tim Beltermann, head of BMW Germany, notes that the BMW 3 Series — the basis for the new i3 — has stood for driving pleasure and innovation for more than five decades, calling it an icon just like the Berlin Marathon itself.

New BMW i3 in the lead

The Berlin Marathon marks one of the first public appearances of the new, fully electric BMW i3, the second model in BMW's "Neue Klasse" generation. The car is being used for the first time as the lead vehicle for the men's elite race. Production of the model at BMW's Munich plant and customer deliveries are set to begin later this year. According to BMW, the i3's electric range (WLTP) reaches up to 906 kilometers — theoretically enough to complete all seven World Marathon Majors over two and a half years without recharging.

Fleet of lead and support vehicles

A total of 60 route and organizational vehicles are being deployed for the race. Besides the new i3, the fleet includes the BMW iX3, iX, i5, i4, iX2 and iX1. The official safety car is a BMW iX, the women's elite race is led by a BMW iX3, while the national elite categories are led by a BMW i5 (men) and BMW i4 (women). BMW is also providing 14 motorcycles and two e-scooters. As BMW points out, this is a fitting touch for the motorcycles in particular, since the legendary BMW motorcycles have been built at BMW's Berlin plant since 1969.