Monday, September 22
Harry Styles ran the Berlin marathon under a false name
Let’s be honest: there are more pressing stories this morning. Over the weekend Berlin, along with Brussels, Dublin and London, was hit by a cyberattack that disrupted services at BER airport and left passengers facing ongoing delays, with some asked to check in their own luggage today. Yet, since travel chaos in Berlin has become almost routine, we are turning our attention instead to a lighter piece of news.
Among the 55,000 people who ran the Berlin Marathon yesterday was one participant competing under a false name. Registered as “Sted Sarandos”, he completed the 42 kilometres in just under three hours, clocking a time of 2:59:13. But who was he really? Harry Styles, the British singer, actor and songwriter now apparently based in the German capital.
This was not Styles’ first marathon of the year. He also ran in Tokyo, finishing in 3:24:07. Berlin therefore marked a personal best, with his time improving by roughly 25 minutes.
Overall victory in the men’s race went to Sebastian Sawe of Kenya, who crossed the line in 2:02:15: his third win of the year after triumphs in Valencia and London. Thanks to its flat course, Berlin is renowned for record-breaking performances, though Sawe fell just over two minutes short of the world best. That record is held by Kelvin Kiptum, who set it at 2:00:35. The fastest time ever recorded in Berlin is not far off, and was set by Eliud Kipchoge, who came in at 2:01:09.
