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2026 BMW Berlin Marathon

Tigst Assefa's Path To Attempting Marathon World Record

Tigst Assefa's Path To Attempting Marathon World Record

At the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon, Tigst Assefa has her sights set on reclaiming the marathon world record.

Sep 24, 2026 by Mathias Cubillan
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Tigst Assefa Runs World Record At 2023 Berlin Marathon4:28

Tigst Assefa is back at the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon to recapture what she already laid her claim to once before: the women’s marathon record. 

The Ethiopian is set for another attempt at the record after Ruth Chepngetich blazed to a 2:09:56 mark, setting a record that still stands despite a doping ban five months removed. One of the most sought-after records in sport is now inextricably laced with controversy.

But in 2026, Assefa is looking to right that wrong. She has announced a formal challenge of Chepngetich’s record, hoping to improve on her former world record-setting 2:11:53 in 2023 by roughly two seconds. 

“It is a great pleasure for me to return to the streets of Berlin three years after setting my world record here in 2023,” Assefa said in a statement to SCC Events. “I am excited to once again try to break the world record.”

While the rapturous support from fans around the world will be a sort of wind at her back during the race, it’s Assefa’s body of work that makes rewriting history again a possibility. 

Tigst Assefa’s Resume

The 29 year old’s breakout came in 2022 at the same Berlin Marathon, where she won with a dominant time of 2:15:37, a massive improvement over her 2:34:01 debut at the Riyadh Marathon earlier that year. The win came out of nowhere, with Assefa spending years as an 800m runner before slowly transitioning to the roads.

“I’m delighted to win here,” Assefa told race officials after her 2022 victory. “I wasn’t afraid of my rivals, even though they had faster times than me.”

Her breakout became a breakthrough when Assefa went out in 2023 and improved on her time, setting a new world record of 2:11:53 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

As she stunned the running community, Assefa also surprised herself with the performance.

“I didn't expect to run this fast, that is to say to break 2:12, but it is the result of hard work,” Assefa said to race officials following the marathon. “As for being now a favourite for the Olympic Marathon next year, it is up to the National Committee to select me for the team.” 

Of course, the Ethiopian Olympic Committee was thrilled to select Assefa, who earned a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, three seconds back  of Sifan Hassan’s 2:22:55, in what has gone down as an all-time classic.

Since then she’s run in three marathons, never finishing worse than second and winning the TCS London Marathon the past two years. Earlier this year, she set the women’s only World Record at the London Marathon, clocking a 2:15:41.

“When I think about the competition, there’s no secret to my success,” Asseffa said in her post-race press conference. “I’ve trained hard and because of all the hard work I’ve put in, I’ve achieved this level of success.”

The Chase

The London Marathon reset expectations for the already awe-inspiring Ethiopian. It gave real tangibility to another world record bid from Assefa after taking the women’s only mark to new heights.

Her return to Berlin is the natural target for the record. Not only is the notoriously flat course ideal for fast times, but Assefa has a history on the German streets. Her very story started to be written after soaring under the Brandenburg Gate for the first time.

“I am really looking forward to running on the fast course in Berlin again and hope that I can continue my success story here on Sunday,” Assefa said in the pre-race press conference. “I am very well prepared and want to run a personal best.”

The expected cool weather (mid to high 50s) is beginning to look like the perfect conditions for Assefa to break the 2:10:00 barrier and reclaim the laurel she once bore, wrestling the throne back from Chepngetich.

When Is The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon?

The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon takes place on Sunday, Sept. 27. For viewers in the United States, the race starts at 2:30 a.m. ET. In Berlin, the starting gun goes off at 8:30 a.m. local time.

Here's How To Watch The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon In Berlin, Germany

FloTrack will provide live coverage of the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon, bringing the action from the streets of Berlin, Germany, to viewers at home. Subscribe here to catch all of the action.

Coverage begins at 2:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, September 27.

FloTrack Archived Footage

Video footage from each event will be archived and stored in a video library for FloTrack subscribers to watch for the duration of their subscriptions.

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