Tigst Assefa Sets Berlin Marathon Course Record in 2026

Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday with a time of 2 hours 11 minutes 4 seconds, achieving the third-fastest women’s marathon in history. The 29-year-old Ethiopian, who was a silver medallist at the Paris Olympics and the 2026 London Marathon winner, was on track to break the world record for much of the race.

She led by a minute at the 15km mark and maintained her pace until 35km, when she began to experience discomfort due to a tendon injury. Despite this, Assefa broke her own Berlin course record of 2:11:53, which she set in 2023, and improved upon her 2:15:41 time from the London Marathon earlier that year.

The current women’s world record remains 2:09:56, held by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, who received a three-year doping ban in 2025. Race director Mark Milde praised Assefa's performance, noting the challenges she faced.

Ethiopia dominated the women's race, with Bedatu Hirpa finishing second and Dera Dida third. In the men's race, Ethiopia’s Guye Adola won in 2:02:50.