German walkers challenge runners in Berlin

14.10.2022

| Great 10K

Silke Bernhart

The next big running event in the capital Berlin promises mass and class again on Sunday. At the heart of the Berlin Great 10K: EM marathon participant Deborah Schöneborn and walker Karl Junghannß, who is now racing an autumn after his start in EM. Another DLV walker celebrates his running debut on the 10km course.

They prefer to run together, as they did last time in a marathon at the European Championships in Munich. On Sunday, however, only one of the Schöneborn twins will be on the starting line at the degewo Great 10K in Berlin: the tenth EM Deborah Schöneborn (SCC Berlin). Sister Rabea recently underwent knee surgery and is taking her first steps in rehabilitation, while Deborah, arguably the most promising 10km runner, is walking the streets of her hometown. She also set her best time of 32:56 minutes in Berlin at the end of July.

“I’m in great shape,” says “Debbie” Schöneborn. “It will be a mega start and a mega highlight. It is a lot of fun to run where you are stuck in traffic jams in everyday life. On Sundays the roads belong to us runners. I will pass every red light with a smile ”.

Blanka Dörfel (SCC Berlin), who is eight years her junior and recently finished third in the 10km distance in 33:20 minutes, could secure a double success in Berlin. In the spring of 2021, she has already smelled 32 times in 33:00 minutes.

Karl Junghannß: stopover in the direction of Frankfurt

The men’s competition promises an interesting starting point, where several questions arise from a German point of view: how Frank Schauer (Tangermünder Elbdeichmarathon) tackled the Berlin marathon in the last three weeks, which he did with a best time of 2 : 13: 41 Could the hours run out? How much self-confidence can walker Karl Junghannß (LC Top Team Thuringia) have before starting the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon (October 30)? E: Does Jonathan Dahlke (TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen) have the upper hand this time around?

Only a few seconds separated Junghannß (4th) and Dahlke (5th) at the Cologne half marathon, where, however, the positions of the leading group got confused due to bad direction. Normally the Leverkusen man should be rated higher with a best time of 28:37 minutes over the 10 kilometers. At the DM in mid-September he finished fifth with a time of 29:12 minutes. Schauer’s best time is 29:15 minutes and Junghannß’s is 29:29 minutes. In their wake, former 1,500m specialist Timo Benitz (LG farbtex Nordschwarzwald) could perhaps improve towards the 29er halftime. In the lead, three Kenyans, led by 2018 winner Vincent Kiprotich (PB: 27:21 min), are expected to fight for the win.

A little under the radar is a young athlete who has already celebrated an international medal this summer – in the 10,000-meter track walk! European U18 champion Frederick Weigel (SC Potsdam) celebrates his debut in the 10km road race, and his coach and father Ronald Weigel promises: “He too can run fast!”