Progress against the field
From Cologne 2025 to Hamburg 2026, Volker Marks got 2:11 faster than the field.
Over the same races everyone got 9:21 quicker, so 11:32 faster on the clock looks better than it was.
The biggest step was Mechelen 2026 → Berlin 2026: 2:21 on the field in 57 days.
How this is worked out ⓘ
A finish time moves for two reasons: the athlete, and the race — its course, its floor, its day. For each pair of races in a row in one category, we take everyone who raced both and use the middle of how much they moved (the median) as "the race". Whatever is left is the athlete. Doubles are compared only when the same two people raced both, and told as the pair's; relays are left out. A pair with fewer than 15 athletes in common is not shown.
Every race
8 races · 6 events
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Hamburg28 Oct 2026Individual Open · Men1:19:51 PB317/1103Beat 71%
↑ 27 days after Karlsruhe 2026 1:20 better than the field Why ↓Close ↑
4:50 faster on the clock, and the race was 3:30 faster for everyone, so 1:20 of it was this athlete.
The fieldCompare these two →3:30 faster This athlete4:50 faster -
Karlsruhe1 Oct 2026Individual Open · Men1:24:41405/1003Beat 60%
↑ 132 days after Berlin 2026 0:42 better than the field Why ↓Close ↑
0:42 better than the field: 1:09 faster on the clock, against 0:27 faster for everyone.
The fieldCompare these two →0:27 faster This athlete1:09 faster -
Karlsruhe1 Oct 2026Doubles Open · Men1:10:56 PB46/155Beat 70%
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Berlin22 May 2026Individual Open · Men1:25:50349/704Beat 50%
↑ 57 days after Mechelen 2026 2:21 better than the field Why ↓Close ↑
The race was 1:35 slower for everyone and the clock still says 0:46 faster: 2:21 gained on the field.
The fieldCompare these two →1:35 slower This athlete0:46 faster -
Mechelen26 Mar 2026Individual Open · Men1:26:36464/747Beat 38%
↑ 104 days after Frankfurt 2025 1:18 worse than the field Faster on the clock, behind the field Why ↓Close ↑
3:52 faster on the clock, yet the race was 5:10 faster for everyone, so 1:18 was lost on the field.
The fieldCompare these two →5:10 faster This athlete3:52 faster -
Frankfurt12 Dec 2025Doubles Open · Mixed1:52:27 PB1434/1469Beat 2%
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Frankfurt12 Dec 2025Individual Open · Men1:30:281155/1883Beat 39%
↑ 246 days after Cologne 2025 0:54 worse than the field Faster on the clock, behind the field Why ↓Close ↑
0:55 faster on the clock looks better than it was: the race was 1:49 faster for everyone, which leaves this 0:54 behind the field.
The fieldCompare these two →1:49 faster This athlete0:55 faster -
Cologne10 Apr 2025Individual Open · Men1:31:23784/1182Beat 34%