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Berlin Marathon 2026: Assefa Sets Course Record, Adola Wins Again
Tigst Assefa won Berlin in a 2:11:04 course record after a late leg problem. Guye Adola took the men's race in a personal best of 2:02:50.
Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, in 2:11:04, lowering her own course record by 49 seconds. She had been on pace to challenge the women’s world record until late in the race, when the organizer reported a problem with her right leg. Guye Adola won the men’s race in 2:02:50, a personal best and his second Berlin title.
The results and race details below come from the Berlin Marathon organizer’s September 27 report and its official results portal. World Athletics also published a race report. Times are reported results as of September 27, U.S. Eastern time; record ratification, where applicable, is a separate process.
Assefa’s record bid changes in the final miles
Assefa ran clear of the women’s field early. The organizer recorded her at 30:48 for 10K, 1:04:57 at halfway, and 1:32:19 at 30K. With about 3.1 miles to go, her projected finish was 2:09:36, inside the standing 2:09:56 world record. Near 40K, the organizer reported that her stride changed and she began limping. She still finished well ahead of the field, but the world-record bid was over.
The organizer said Assefa went to a hospital for a precautionary assessment and missed the awards ceremony and press conference. It had not published a diagnosis in its race report. Her 2:11:04 replaces the 2:11:53 Berlin course record she set in 2023. This was her third Berlin win, after 2022 and 2023.
| Women’s place | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tigst Assefa | Ethiopia | 2:11:04 (course record) |
| 2 | Bedatu Hirpa | Ethiopia | 2:16:53 |
| 3 | Dera Dida | Ethiopia | 2:16:55 |
Adola breaks away after 30K
An eight-man lead group reached halfway in 1:01:01, according to the organizer. Adola, Gemechu Diriba, and Selemon Barega separated shortly before 30K. Adola moved away with roughly 6 miles remaining and won in 2:02:50. He had previously won Berlin in 2021; this result also improves the 2:03:46 personal best he set on his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017.
| Men’s place | Athlete | Country | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guye Adola | Ethiopia | 2:02:50 (personal best) |
| 2 | Gemechu Diriba | Ethiopia | 2:03:19 |
| 3 | Gabriel Geay | Tanzania | 2:03:59 |
American finishers in the elite field
Charlie Sweeney was the leading American man, finishing 23rd in 2:09:33. Rebecca Schmitt was the first U.S. woman in 17th at 2:27:38; Jacqueline Gaughan followed five seconds later in 18th at 2:27:43. These placings and times are listed in World Athletics’ men’s marathon records and women’s 2026 marathon records.
For runners following the fall marathon season, Berlin delivered two very different finishes: a decisive men’s break after 30K and a women’s course record despite a severe slowdown in the closing stretch. Assefa’s late difficulty does not, by itself, establish a lesson about pacing or the cause of her leg problem. The organizer’s results portal remains the place to check any later corrections.
Sources
- BMW Berlin Marathon organizer’s September 27 race report: podium times and places, Assefa’s course record and splits, her reported late leg problem, men’s race progression, and Adola’s previous Berlin results.
- BMW Berlin Marathon official results portal: the organizer-linked results record for subsequent updates.
- World Athletics September 27 race report: independent governing-body account of the winners and times.
- World Athletics men’s marathon records and women’s 2026 marathon records: Sweeney’s, Schmitt’s, and Gaughan’s U.S. placings and times. World Athletics notes that its statistics service may not replace the organizer’s complete official results.