The 52nd BMW Berlin Marathon will feature more than 56,000 runners from 160 countries pounding the streets of the German capital today. The 26.2-mile course is famously flat and fast, making it one of the world's best stages for elite marathoners and recreational runners alike —Tigst Assefa may even break her own women-only world record.
Read on and we'll show you how to watch Berlin Marathon 2026 live streams from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE.
The 2026 Berlin Marathon takes place on Sunday, September 27
► Time: 2.45 a.m. ET / 7.45 a.m. BST / 4.45 p.m. AEST
► FREE STREAMS — RTL (GER) / Olympic Channel (Select countries)
► U.S., CAN, AUS — FloTrack
► Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
The biggest storyline is the return of Assefa, who won the Berlin Marathon in 2022 before returning a year later to set a women's marathon world record of 2:11:53. That mixed record has since been broken, by Ruth Chepngetich, but Assefa remains in excellent form after setting a new women's-only world record of 2:15:41 at the London Marathon earlier this year.
Today, the Ethiopian has Chepngetich's 2:09:53 in her sights as she eyes a third Berlin victory but will face tough competition from defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru, as well as European champion Alisa Vainio.
The men's field is no less replete with talent, with 2021 Berlin champion Guye Adola in fine form after winning the Rotterdam Marathon earlier this year in 2:03:54. He'll be run close by Tanzania's Gabriel Geay, whose personal best is 2:03:00 and Ethiopia's 2020 London Marathon winner Shura Kitata, who set a 2:03:59 PB in Seville earlier this year.
The weather should be more comfortable this year than last year's notoriously hot race, with temperatures around 13C at the start potentially rising to 22C later in the day. The official time limit is 6 hours and 15 minutes from when runners cross the start line, with a specific cutoff requiring them to reach the 33km mark by 3:40 p.m.
Find out all the details on how to tune in and watch a Berlin Marathon 2026 live stream below wherever you are around the world, including free streams.
Watch Berlin Marathon 2026 live stream for FREE
Fans in Germany are in luck! RTL is streaming the Berlin Marathon for FREE.
The 2026 Berlin Marathon will also be shown for FREE on the Olympic Channel in the following countries: Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
If you're from any of these countries but currently abroad during Berlin Marathon weekend, you’ll be blocked from watching your usual streams.
That said, you can avoid paying for another streaming service and unblock Berlin Marathon live free streams using a VPN, which will help you stream like you would if you were back home. NordVPN is among the best out there:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple:
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is a strong option.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're away from Germany but want to watch your usual service, you'd select a Germany-based server from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to RTL or another website and watch the 2026 Berlin Marathon live stream.
How to watch Berlin Marathon live streams in the U.S.
Viewers in the U.S. can watch the 2026 Berlin Marathon via FloTrack. A subscription costs $29.99/month or $150/year.
If you already use the service but aren't in the U.S. right now, you can live stream the Berlin Marathon by using a good VPN.
How to watch Berlin Marathon live streams in Canada
In Canada you’ll need a FloTrack subscription in order to watch the Berlin Marathon 2026.
If you're away from home and struggling to tap into your subscriptions, you could use a VPN to help you access a Berlin Marathon stream from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN.
How to watch Berlin Marathon live streams in the U.K.
It's FloTrack in the U.K., too.
A subscription costs the same as in the U.S., and is billed in dollars.
If you’re currently traveling in the U.K. from abroad, don’t worry, as you can use NordVPN to access your usual streaming services from back home.
How to watch Berlin Marathon live streams in Australia
For those in Australia, FloTrack is also the place to watch the Berlin Marathon. In Oz, this will set you back AU$29.99/month or AU$149.99/year.
Outside of Australia right now? You can simply use a VPN, such as NordVPN, to watch the race as if you were back in Oz.
What time does the 2026 Berlin Marathon start?
The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon takes place on Sunday, September 27. The race starts at 2:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. BST / 4:30 p.m. AEST, which is 8:30 a.m. local time in Berlin.
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