The 2001 Berlin Marathon was the 28th running of the annual marathon race held in Berlin, Germany, held on 30 September 2001. Kenya's Joseph Ngolepus (entering as a pacemaker) won the men's race in 2:08:47 hours. The women's race was won by Japan's Naoko Takahashi in a world record time of 2:19:46, as she became the first woman to break the 2 hour 20 minute barrier.