Assefa Falls Short of Record but Wins Third Berlin Title

Tigst Assefa limped through the final kilometre yet still won her third Berlin Marathon title in 2:11:04, her record chase fading late.

Tigst Assefa and Guye Adola won the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon on Sunday as the World Marathon Majors circuit continued. Assefa, the women's-only world record holder, dominated the women's race to win in 02:11:04, surging past compatriots Bedatu Hirpa and Dera Dida to claim a third Berlin title following wins in 2022 and 2023. In a fiercely competitive men's race, Adola triumphed in 2:02:50, with Gemechu Dida Diriba and Gabriel Geay taking second and third.

The women's race was built as a world record attempt, and for most of the morning Assefa had the mark within reach. FloTrack reported she crossed the halfway point in 1:04:57, projecting a finish of 2:09:53, a few seconds under the record, and passed 35km in 1:47:32 with a projected 2:09:38. Runner's World reports she came through 40K on pace to break Ruth Chepngetich's mark of 2:09:56 before fading in the final stages. FloTrack described how she began limping over the closing kilometre yet kept chasing the line, still finishing in 2:11:04 — a personal best, a new Berlin course record, and the third-fastest women's marathon ever, per FloTrack.

Assefa lined up as the clear favourite on the course where she set what was the outright women's world record in 2023, and FloTrack noted she still holds the Berlin course record and the women's-only marathon world record of 2:15:41 from London in April. Even so, a runner leading a marathon by roughly five minutes and threatening the 2:10 barrier simply does not limp home — yet that is what happened, and she still broke the tape. The men's race produced its own upset: world record holder Sabastian Sawe withdrew after his sub-two-hour run in London earlier this year, per The Independent, opening the door for Adola, who made his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017 and won the same race in 2021, according to FloTrack.

The live tracking data tells the story of two very different races. FloTrack logged the men's lead pack passing the half in 1:01:01 with seven runners still together at 30km in 1:26:57, before Adola went through 35km in 1:41:18 and carved out a nine-second lead before the final 7km, as The Independent reported. On the women's side, Assefa ran the first 10km in 30:48 and led by 65 seconds, per FloTrack. The finishing order confirms the dominance: The Independent lists Hirpa second in 2:16:53 and Dida third in 2:16:55 in the women's race, with Diriba (2:03:19) and Geay (2:03:59) behind Adola in the men's.

Berlin is one of the fastest marathon courses in the world, and FloTrack noted Eliud Kipchoge's men's course record of 2:01:09 had stood for four years with a field built to threaten it. For Assefa, the day is a paradox: a course record and personal best that nonetheless ends a record-chase in pain, FloTrack reporting she limped the closing kilometre. The wheelchair races added star power, with Runner's World reporting Marcel Hug winning the men's event in 1:23:28 and Catherine Debrunner the women's in 1:35:01.

This was a landmark edition of the race. BMW Group, title partner for the 15th time, says more than 84,000 runners from 162 nations took part, with the new fully electric BMW i3 serving as the lead vehicle for the elite men's race and 60 course and organization vehicles deployed. FloTrack noted the 2025 Berlin race saw Sabastian Sawe run 2:02:16 and Rosemary Wanjiru win the women's race in 2:21:05, setting the stage for 2026's record-chasing fields. Runner's World adds this was the 52nd edition of a race that has produced world records on both the men's and women's sides in recent years. With Assefa's course record lowered and the Majors circuit moving on to Chicago in October, per FloTrack's calendar, the autumn racing season is fully underway.