The 35-year-old, also the 2021 Berlin winner, secured victory after accelerating on Kurfürstendamm. The course record of 2:01:09 remained intact. The event drew 56,000 runners, with the final starting wave only about 15 minutes into its race when the winner approached the finish.
Berlin mayor Kai Wegner started the race at 8:45. Around 14 degrees Celsius and a light easterly wind offered favourable conditions. World-record holder Sabastian Sawe had withdrawn through injury.
Race director Mark Milde instructed the pacemakers to target the course record. The leading group instead passed 10 kilometres in 28:58, putting it on roughly two-hour-two-minute pace. Adola, Selemon Barega, Gabriel Geay and Gemechu Dida were among the contenders.
By 30 kilometres Barega, Adola and Dida had moved clear, while Geay could not maintain their pace. Adola later accelerated away from his remaining rivals and increased his lead through the finish. Before the race he had said he was in the best form of his career.