Berlin Marathon 2026

UNSEEN — RUN THE KIEZ: A New Exhibition Follows Four Runners Through Berlin's Neighbourhoods

A documentary, photographic series and installation trace the Berlin Marathon route through the people who run it every day, not just on race day.

The marathon is usually witnessed through its final spectacle: race day, with its immense crowds, finish line, and payoff. What remains unseen is everything it took to get there.

RUN THE KIEZ follows four runners through the early light of Tiergarten, the historic heart of Mitte, the canals of Kreuzkölln, the rainbow streets of Schöneberg: the same route run hundreds of times, the corner café, the conversations you have with yourself long before anyone else is awake.

Each runner carries a different Kiez (neighbourhood in German) and experience of the city within them. They differ in age, background and why they started. But they share the same 42.195 kilometres and the repetition before the big event, until the course lives in the runner's bones and the boundary between person and Kiez begins to dissolve.

For Emo, that repetition built more than fitness. "Everything I have in Berlin, apart from my children, I have through running."

As someone who runs in Kreuzkölln, Fer feels it's less about achievement and more about belonging. "What I love about running here is that we belong here," she says. "It feels right to run here."

Deidre, who runs through Schöneberg, describes running as a way of transforming emotional pain. “If grief is love with nowhere to go, running is how I alchemized it,” she says.

And Wido, a marathon veteran, puts it simply: “Tiergarten is my home, and running is my life.”

The Film

The documentary spends its time in the unremarkable middle of training, not the finish line. It follows each runner's preparation and routine before the Berlin Marathon, revealing the early alarm, the repeated route, and the consistency of showing up even when no one is watching. Repetition becomes part of the story itself. Run enough times, a street stops being a street. It becomes something closer to memory.

The Exhibition

The installation carries that same idea into physical space. The Berlin Marathon route runs across the gallery floor, with two portraits and three neighbourhood photographs marking each runner's Kiez.

Overhead, a canopy of hanging strings carries handwritten reflections: quotes from the four runners under the theme "Why I Run Berlin," alongside responses from the 170 people who took part in the exhibition's accompanying survey. Visitors are invited to add their own answer on the reverse of a string, becoming part of the installation themselves.

A staircase installation shifts from portrait to full immersion, its close-up, blurred-motion imagery holding the memory of endurance, doubt and repetition. The exhibition treats the Kiez itself as a unit of belonging rather than scenery, framing Berlin as a collection of neighbourhoods shaped by the people who run, live and build community within them.

Together, the film, photographs, and installation ask one question: who are you when you run your Kiez?

Exhibition Information

UNSEEN — RUN THE KIEZ runs as part of Zalando RunZone, open to the public across Berlin Marathon weekend.

Dates: 25–27 September 2026
Location: Kurfürstendamm 229, 10719 Berlin

Opening hours:
Friday: 7am–8pm
Saturday: 9am–3pm
Sunday: 6pm–11pm

Registration for Zalando RunZone

PANEL TALK - MOVE LIKE A LOCAL

SATURDAY SEPT. 26 12:30 AM - 1:30 PM

TOPIC: The Faces of Running – Each Journey to the Finish Line Is Different
Exploring how representation, accessibility and authentic stories can open up running to more people, create a stronger sense of belonging and shape a more inclusive running community.

Speakers:
Wido (UNSEEN talent)
Oumou Aidara
Emily Hoffschmidt-McDonnell
Eva Hangartner

Register here: Zalando RunZone

About UNSEEN

UNSEEN is a global exhibition platform built around the stories that don't usually make it into marathon coverage. Staged at major Mmarathon moments, it brings athletes and artists together through film, photography, sound and installation, moving the lens away from the spectacle of race day and towards the people who carry it.

For its Berlin edition, RUN THE KIEZ turns that lens on the neighbourhoods that shape the city, seen one stride at a time.

Special thanks

Rosie van der Harst — For her endless dedication, support, and genuine belief in our vision throughout this journey. She stood with us every step of the way, always believing in what we were trying to create and giving it her full support. Her trust, commitment, and generosity meant more than words can express, and we are truly grateful to have had her by our side.

Acknowledgements

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the short documentary, the exhibitions, and the creative vision behind this project.

We are especially grateful to our local Kiez talents, artists, videographers, photographers, and collaborators for sharing their stories, creativity, and expertise, bringing authenticity and a true sense of Heimatgefühl to the project.

Special thanks to Zalando, act.3, Maurten and Leica Camera Germany for their support, trust, and partnership in bringing this project to life.

Thank you to everyone whose dedication, collaboration, and belief in the power of running helped make this project possible.

TEAM UNSEEN
@unseen.global