Tigst Assefa Wins Berlin Marathon in Third-Fastest Time Ever, But Late Cramps Cost Her World Record Bid

Tigst Assefa won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in the third-fastest women's time in history, but the Ethiopian runner's bid to reclaim the world record ended in painful fashion after cramps struck in the closing kilometers, forcing her to hobble across the finish line before collapsing in tears.

Assefa, 29, crossed the line in 2 hours, 11 minutes and 4 seconds, setting a new Berlin course record and improving on her own previous personal best of 2:11:53, which she had set at the same race in 2023. The win marked her third Berlin Marathon victory, following earlier titles in 2022 and 2023.

For much of the race, Assefa looked on course to smash the existing world record of 2:09:56, set by Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, a mark that remains overshadowed by the three-year doping ban Chepngetich received in 2025. Assefa opened aggressively, reaching the 5-kilometer mark in 15:30 and quickly building a commanding lead over the rest of the field, passing 15 kilometers with a full minute's advantage. She reached halfway in 1:04:57, the third-fastest halfway split ever recorded in a women's marathon, and remained comfortably inside world-record pace through the 35-kilometer mark, reaching 40 kilometers in 2:03:00.

It was shortly after that point, in the final stretch before the Brandenburg Gate, that Assefa's race unraveled. The Ethiopian, known throughout the sport for her strong closing speed, instead began showing clear signs of physical distress as cramps set in, dramatically slowing her pace over the race's final kilometers. She gritted her teeth and limped over the finish line before slumping to the ground, visibly fighting back tears as she was helped away from the course, according to reporting on the race.

Despite the dramatic finish, Assefa's time still stands as the third-fastest women's marathon performance in history, and comfortably improved on the 2:15:41 she ran in winning the London Marathon earlier this year, a result that had itself broken her own record for a women's-only marathon race format. Assefa also holds a silver medal from the women's marathon at the Paris Olympics two years ago.

Behind Assefa, Ethiopian runners swept the remainder of the women's podium and beyond, taking all of the top five finishing positions. Bedatu Hirpa finished second in 2:16:53, followed by Dera Dida in 2:16:55, Bekelech Gudeta in 2:18:58 and Alemitu Tariku in 2:19:01.

In the men's race, fellow Ethiopian Guye Adola, 35, claimed victory in 2:02:50, marking his second Berlin Marathon title following an earlier win in 2021. Gemechu Dida Diriba of Ethiopia finished second in 2:03:19, with Gabriel Gerald Geay of Tanzania placing third in 2:03:59.

The men's world record holder, Sabastian Sawe, was unable to compete in Sunday's race due to injury, though he attended the event as a guest of honor. Organizers moved the marathon's start times earlier in the day than originally planned, a decision made in response to forecasts of high temperatures, following a similarly hot edition of the race the previous year.

Berlin has long served as one of the marathon world's premier venues for record-breaking performances, owing to its flat, fast course and generally favorable running conditions. The course has produced a steady succession of men's world records over the past two decades, including multiple records set by Eliud Kipchoge, and Assefa herself set the previous women's world record on the same course in 2023, before Chepngetich's subsequent run in Chicago the following year eclipsed that mark.

Sunday's near-miss adds another dramatic chapter to Assefa's own history with the Berlin course, a venue where she has now recorded three victories and, in 2023, a world record, even as this year's race ultimately denied her the chance to reclaim that record given how the cramping affected her final kilometers. Her performance through 40 kilometers, however, offered a clear indication of the pace and ambition she brought into the race, having tracked comfortably inside world-record pace for the overwhelming majority of the 42.2-kilometer distance before the late physical setback intervened.

With Assefa's world record bid falling just short despite one of the most striking record attempts in recent marathon history, attention within the sport is likely to turn toward whether the Ethiopian will make another attempt at reclaiming the record in a future race, given how close Sunday's performance came to succeeding before the late cramping derailed what had, for nearly the entire distance, looked like a historic run.