The Japan Times - 'Bottle Claus': Kipchoge's 'hero' helping runners chase Berlin marathon glory

"He asked me to come to the hotel and he gave me his starting number," the 60-year-old Schulke, better known as 'Bottle Claus', told AFP in Berlin.

"It said 'Dear Claus, without you I would have never broken this record'.

"I was extremely proud. It's absolutely incredible. I still have it on my desk."

Schulke helped Kipchoge to four victories in Berlin from 2017 to 2023, including setting the world mark in 2018 and 2022.

Kipchoge reserved special praise for Schulke, calling him "still my hero up until now" in 2022.

After Kipchoge's final Berlin run, Schulke was headhunted by his heir apparent Sabastian Sawe.

Sawe won on his Berlin debut in 2025. Seven months later, he ran 1:59:30 in London, becoming the first man to break through the mythical two-hour barrier.

The 31-year-old wanted to better that mark in Berlin this Sunday but was forced to pull out.

"Sawe's injury (withdrawal) was really shocking and sad for the race," Schulke said.

Without Sawe, Schulke will be assigned to another contender before Sunday's race in one of the most even fields in recent memory.

- 'Sleepless nights' -

Having done the same thing for 30 years, Schulke was "absolutely surprised" when videos of him celebrating his handoffs before cycling manically to the next water station went viral and a US publication nicknamed him 'Bottle Claus'.

"It took on a life of its own... I was mountain bike racing in Kyrgyzstan and someone from Australia passed by and said 'hey, you're Bottle Claus'.

"It's absolutely funny. I enjoy it very much."

In the 1990s, Schulke helped start the Berlin marathon's elite support team, the first and for a long time only one of the majors to offer a bottle service.

A perfectly executed handover can save runners around two to three seconds. With 13 handovers, that can be the difference between a world record or a near miss.

"Most important is to get eye contact and audio contact," Schulke says, adding "you have just one chance to shout as loud as you can."

Schulke holds the bottle from the bottom so the runners do not need to slow down from their 22km/h pace to grab it.

After his trademark double fist-pump celebration, Schulke cycles towards the next water station, overtaking a swarm of runners, media and officials in cars and on motorbikes, before doing it all over again.

"You have two minutes to prepare for the next transfer. You have to grab your bike, take care you don't touch the runners...

"You have to concentrate at a high-level because you don't want to cause an accident."

Despite his stellar record, Schulke admits to "sleepless nights" before the big race: "I'm extremely nervous hoping that everything will go well."

- 'Kipchoge an inspiration' -

Away from the track, the Hamburg-born Schulke is a civil engineer who helped oversee the construction of Berlin's 680 million euro ($775 million) Humbolt Forum.

But his love of extreme sports runs deep. Schulke ran a 2:34 marathon PB aged just 19 and has since completed the Hawaii Iron Man six times.

Schulke said the lessons he learned from Kipchoge helped him overcome "mental weakness" while cycling from California to New Jersey as part of 2026's Race Across America.

"It was extremely hard... the most challenging situation I had for several years.

"But I have a wristband from Eliud which says 'no human is limited'.

"I could transfer that to myself... to overcome this weakness, this feeling in my belly, to do better.

"Kipchoge is an inspiration for me. I was so glad I could meet him and maybe some of his attitude of living, I can adapt for myself."

H.Takahashi--JT