ILESANMI TOMISIN ADELEKE
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa ran at world-record pace for much of the race before suffering cramps in the final two kilometers, which ended her bid to challenge the global mark. Even so, Assefa still produced a huge performance and finished nearly six minutes ahead of her nearest rival.
The result is a new Berlin Marathon course record, improving Assefa’s own 2:11:53 from 2023 by 49 seconds. That 2023 performance had been a world record at the time. Assefa’s 2:11:04 is not the current world record, but it strengthens her remarkable record on one of the fastest marathon courses in the world.
This is Assefa’s third Berlin Marathon victory after wins in 2022 and 2023.
She has also won the London Marathon in 2025 and 2026, giving her five World Marathon Major victories — three in Berlin and two in London. She is now three-for-three in Berlin, with every appearance ending in victory.
