The BMW Berlin Marathon’s golden jubilee, aka 50th edition, was a jaw-dropper for many reasons. This may have been the first since 2014 that either Eliud Kipchoge or Kenenisa Bekele have missed competing at the course, but it was hardly a lackluster event. In fact, it was a record breaker for many reasons, beyond the 58,212 registered runners and the 54,280 finishers that set a new world record.

While Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema emerged winners in an all-Ethiopian podium sweep after 2021, another champion’s awe-inspiring finishing garnered great attention from the track and field community. Pleasantly surprised at his ambitious feat, they hailed him with the unanimous title ‘legend.’

A 63-year-old runner smashes boundaries at the Berlin Marathon

Taking to X, a daughter shared her 63-year-old father’s success story from the 2024 Berlin Marathon that had people flooding in to congratulate the man. Natasha posted her father Keith’s image posing with his bib from the marathon along with a screenshot of his completion statistics that had track fans dumbfounded for a bit.

She congratulated him for having “achieved his goal completing a sub 3hr marathon in Berlin” and hailed his momentous feat by exclaiming, “Couldn’t be prouder, what a legend.” Flaunting a finished status and a certificate, the marathon details exhibit that Keith finished the 40km mark in 02:59.28 at the Berlin Marathon. Having started a little past 9.30 a.m., he coursed the streets of the German capital on a crisp sunny day and finished at 17 minutes past noon.

Natasha’s post started gaining traction as more and more people remained stunned at Keith’s marvelous achievement. To an extent that she had to add a comment to thank all the congratulators, “Thank you all, can’t believe how much attention this post got! He is amazed by the response and a very happy (sore!) man today.” She hinted how the race left her father’s body sore, but his heart was fulfilled—both by the race and the reactions.

Congratulations are in order for Keith’s Berlin feat

Writing under Natasha’s post, many called Keith a legend. However, a track and field enthusiast put a gen-z spin on it, as he pronounced Keith a “Bad**s!” for showing such great spirit and achieving what he put his mind to. “At 63 sub 3 Whhhaaatt!” they were left open-mouthed by Keith’s achievement at the Berlin Marathon.

If one skims through the figures that Keith clocked, it records details of every 5 km stretch. The speed for 8 out of 9 zones is consistently maintained at around 14 kilometers per hour. It was only from the 35 km to the 40 km mark that he dipped a little under that, to 13.72 km/ph. This means that, on average, he took approximately 4 minutes and some seconds to complete each kilometer.

Thus, people hailed him for not just completing the race but for maintaining a steady pace. “Nice splits! Keep his pace from 21k to 42k. Well done. Know what it takes to do under 3hr marathons,” wrote someone who sounded well-versed in running marathons. It was evident that Keith was in his element at the Berlin Marathon, well prepared, and knew just how he had to execute his goal.

Well, per official rules, the qualifying timings for men who are 60 or older need to clock under 3:25 to make it to the race. But Keith showed that he could go way lower than that. And well, age was no limit. “Excellent time for 63 years old, which most in their 20s can’t achieve,” wrote another, appreciating that Keith’s fitness levels as a senior citizen are still better than what most youngsters can achieve.

Age was no barrier for another 80-year-old legend, Peter Bartel, who was one of the original finishers of the inaugural Berlin Marathon that happened 50 years back. On Sunday, he became the last finisher of this Golden Jubilee edition, which had Adidas reacting, “No, you’re crying!” Identical reactions came in for Keith, as another track and field fan wrote, “Amazing time for anyone, but massive proof that you don’t stop because you get old, you get old because you stop.” 

Another 82-year-old legend, Gunther Hallas, completed the 2024 Berlin Marathon, his 43rd ever, at the age of 82 this weekend. It’s notable how these champions have a relentless spirit. Appreciating Keith for the same, one of the commenters wrote that Keith’s run “speaks volumes about his strong mind & body….please congratulate.”

Another one chimed in saying, “That is freaking awesome and very impressive!” for Keith’s achievement. Notably, the fastest time at the Berlin Marathon 2024 was clocked by Ethiopia’s Mengesha, who reached Brandenburg Gate in 2:03:17. Although he recorded a personal best, the 24-year-old could not break the meet record. And when compared to Keith’s timings, he was nearly 55 minutes faster. Well, what is your reaction to Keith’s Berlin Marathon finish? Would you give him a shoutout or not? Share your thoughts below!