Eliud Kipchoge runs world record 2:01:09 in Berlin

The 37-year-old was even on course for a while to achieve the dream of running under two hours but couldn’t maintain this splendid pace. The Kenyan added further lustre to Berlin’s already rich honour board since this was the 12th world record in the marathon’s history, a total unmatched by any other marathon race in the world.

Eliud Kipchoge’s fellow Kenyan finished second in 2:05:58 and the Ethiopian Tadu Abate took third place with 2:06:28. The leading German runner was Haftom Weldaj who finished a highly creditable 11th, improving his best to 2:09:06, the best performance by a German marathoner this year.

A newcomer to Berlin found sensational form to break the women’s course record. Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia went to the start line with a personal best of 2:34:01 which didn’t suggest she would be a contender for honours. She confounded expectations, however, to win in 2:15:37, taking full advantage of ideal weather conditions. The 26-year-old ran the third fastest marathon by a woman in history as well as an Ethiopian national record and a world best for the year. Assefa carved a huge slice off the previous record of 2:18:11, set by the Kenyan Gladys Cherono in 2018.

“The crowning glory of today were the 12th world record in our history and then such a strong performance to break the women’s course record. We had planned for Eliud to break the record but I hadn’t expected Tigist to run a time like that,” said the Race Director Mark Milde. “It was also great to see people coming out on the street to cheer the runners.“