The Generali Berlin Half Marathon is one of the biggest half marathons in the world. Known as the "spring classic", it draws more than 40,000 runners from over 130 nations to a course that starts on Straße des 17. Juni and passes many of Berlin's landmarks before finishing just past the Brandenburg Gate. It is organised by SCC EVENTS, the team behind the Berlin Marathon, and is one of the six SuperHalfs races alongside Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. Inline skating, wheelchair and handbike races are held on the same morning.
Runner places are allocated by lottery. Registration for the draw stays open for several weeks in spring, every applicant has an equal chance whatever day they enter, and the entry fee is only charged if you are drawn. For the official entry and all details, head to the Generali Berlin Half Marathon website.
Key dates
- Lottery WindowExpected Apr 2027
- Race dayApr 4, 2027
Windows are shown to the month until the organiser confirms them. Subscribers get the exact day, by email, on the morning it opens.
This year's lottery has closed. The next window is expected Apr 2027. Set up a BibsAlert now and we'll email you the moment the Berlin Half Marathon lottery reopens, so next time you're first in instead of locked out.
How to enter the Berlin Half Marathon
Runner places are allocated through a lottery. If you miss out, charity partners, official tour operators and SCC EVENTS preparation courses offer secure entries.
1. Lottery
Register for the lottery online through a personal SCC EVENTS user account during the registration period. You enter your payment details when you register, but the 89 euro entry fee is only charged if you are drawn, and everyone who took part receives the result by email on the same announced day. You can enter alone or as a team of two or three: if the team is drawn, every member gets a race entry. Each adult registers with their own account, and minors are registered by a parent or guardian. Runners must turn 16 in the year of the race.
The lottery is for runners only: inline skating, wheelchair and handbike entries are first come, first served, and skater registration stays open until March unless the field fills first. The organisers also offer 50 race entries at 35 euros to holders of a Berlin Sozialticket S.
Entries are personal: they cannot be transferred to another person or another year, and the entry fee is not refunded. Optional Generali cancellation insurance can only be added when you register.
2. Charity Entries
The official charity partners hold race entries, so you can still get a place through a charity even after the race is sold out. Pick a project from the list of partners on the race website and secure your entry through that charity.
3. Tour Operators
Official tour operators sell travel packages with secure race entries. The organisers say only the partners listed on the race website are authorised to sell entries.
4. SCC EVENTS Preparation Courses
The organiser runs three-month group preparation courses in Berlin in the weeks before the race. When you book a course you can add a race entry for an extra 130 euro, on top of the course fee. The remote personalised training plan does not include an entry.
The course
The organisers describe the course as a sporting sightseeing tour of the German capital, with a low elevation profile and a start in view of the Victory Column.
- Start: Straße des 17. Juni, between the Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column
- Finish: Straße des 17. Juni, just past the Brandenburg Gate
- Distance: 21.0975 km (13.1 miles)
- Start Time: from 10:05 for runners, in several waves
- Time Limit: 3 hours 15 minutes from crossing the start line
The most recent course headed west through the Tiergarten and past Ernst-Reuter-Platz to Schloss Charlottenburg, then turned back east along the Kurfürstendamm past the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church to Potsdamer Platz. From there it ran along Leipziger Straße past the Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt and out along Karl-Marx-Allee to a turning point at Strausberger Platz, before coming back past the Rotes Rathaus and the Berliner Dom and down Unter den Linden to the Brandenburg Gate. Around 40 bands, cheering points and lots of spectators support runners along the route, and six refreshment stations sit on the right-hand side of the road.
Why run the Berlin Half Marathon?
- One of the biggest half marathons in the world: more than 40,000 runners from over 130 nations.
- Fast and flat: the organisers call the course flat with great opportunities for best times, and elite runners have set national records here.
- A finish through the Brandenburg Gate: start between the Victory Column and the Gate, tour the city, and finish just past it.
- SuperHalfs series: Berlin is one of six SuperHalfs races, with Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. Finish all six, with no time limit, to earn a special medal.
Didn't get in?
If you weren't selected in the Berlin Half Marathon lottery, you still have options:
- Charity entries: Many official charity partners offer guaranteed places in exchange for fundraising commitments. Check the official website for partner organizations.
- Run for charity: the official charity partners hold race entries, even after the race is sold out.
- Book with an official tour operator: travel packages include a secure race entry. Only the partners listed on the race website are authorised to sell entries.
- Join an SCC EVENTS preparation course in Berlin: the organiser's group courses let you add a race entry for an extra 130 euro.
- Avoid second-hand bibs: entries are personal and cannot be transferred, and anyone running with another person's number risks disqualification.
- Run the Garmin BERLIN MILE: on the Saturday before the half, a race open to everyone covers the last 1.609 km of the half marathon course, with its own registration.
- Try the Berlin Marathon: the same organiser runs the Berlin Marathon in the autumn, with its own draw.
- Try a similar race: Check the related races below for races with similar entry types, dates, or locations.
- Apply again next year: Set up a BibsAlert so you don't miss the next entry window.
Questions runners ask
How does the Berlin Half Marathon lottery work?
You register for the lottery through a personal SCC EVENTS user account during the registration period and enter your payment details. Every applicant has the same chance whatever day they enter. Everyone receives the result by email on the same announced day, and the 89 euro entry fee is only charged if you are drawn.
Can I enter the lottery with friends?
Yes. You can register as a team of two or three people, each with their own user account, using a team code. If the team is drawn, every member gets a race entry. After the draw the entries are independent, so if one member cannot run, the others keep their places.
Can I transfer or defer my entry?
No. Entries are personal and cannot be transferred to another person or to another year, and the entry fee is not refunded. You can add Generali cancellation insurance, but only when you register. In case of pregnancy, the organiser offers to defer the entry for up to three years with a medical certificate.
What is the time limit?
Runners have 3 hours 15 minutes from crossing the start line. Runners slower than the time limit must leave the course or take the broom bus to the finish, without an official result or medal.
What if I am not drawn in the lottery?
You can still get a guaranteed entry through one of the official charity partners, an official tour operator package, or by adding a race entry when you book an SCC EVENTS preparation course in Berlin.
Looking ahead
The most recent lottery opened in early April, a few days after race day, and stayed open until late May, with results emailed to every applicant in mid-June. Set up a BibsAlert to get notified when the next lottery opens.