Berlin, Germany - Peninah Arusei will return to the BIG 25 Berlin as the defending champion next Sunday (10).

The Kenyan won the race, which famously finishes inside the Olympic Stadium, with a course record of 1:24:10 a year ago.

As announced earlier Kenya’s running legend Paul Tergat will compete in this traditional 25km race, which in 1981 was Germany’s first major international city road race. For Tergat it will be the first time he will run a race in Germany since setting a world marathon record of 2:04:55 in Berlin in 2003.

The race will be started in front of the Olympic Stadium on Sunday. The course then leads the runners through the city centre of the capital, passing Brandenburg Gate, Friedrichstraße, Potsdamer Platz and Gedächtniskirche. Organisers expect around 9000 entries for their race, which will also include a 10km race, a 5x5 km relay and a children’s race.

“It will not be easy for Peninah Arusei to defend her title at the BIG 25 Berlin, because she will meet tough opposition. There are two more women in the race who have run sub 70 minute half marathons. On Sunday it might be necessary to break the course record again to win this race,” said Christoph Kopp, who is responsible for the elite runners of the BIG 25 Berlin.

One who could be in with a chance is Magdaline Mukunzi (Kenya). She features a Half Marathon best of 68:52, which is just a little slower than Arusei. Pauline Wangui will also compete at the BIG 25 Berlin for the first time. She has shown fine form this season as well as in 2008. The Kenyan won the City Pier City Half Marathon in Den Hague in both years, clocking a personal best of 69:49 in 2008. In that year she was also second at the Berlin Half Marathon with another sub 70 minute time (69:51). Pauline Wangui clocked a personal 20km best of 66:39 minutes two months ago, when winning the Dutch Alphen aan den Rijn race.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF