The key facts

  • Filimon Kiptoo Kipchumba (Kenya) won the men's marathon with a course record of 2:08:44, improving Daniel Kibet's 2019 mark (2:09:44)
  • Kasanesh Ayenu Base (Ethiopia) won the women's race in 2:24:40; Ethiopian women took all three podium spots
  • Best Turkish athlete Hüseyin Can finished 11th (2:17:53), missing the top 10 as he had the year before

Course record and a double victory for Kenya and Ethiopia

Kenyan Filimon Kiptoo Kipchumba won the 48th Istanbul Marathon, covering the 42.195 km distance in 2 hours 8 minutes 44 seconds. This is a new course record: the previous mark of 2:09:44, set by his compatriot Daniel Kibet in 2019, was improved by one minute. Ethiopian Sufaro Woliyi Kebeto finished second, and Kenyan Vincent Kipkoech Rono took third. This was reported by Anadolu.

The women's podium belongs entirely to Ethiopia

In the women's race, Ethiopian Kasanesh Ayenu Base won with a time of 2:24:40. Ethiopian runners swept the entire podium: Azmera Abreha Gidey finished second (2:24:47), and Diribe Hirko Alemu was third (2:25:00).

A distinctive course and the hosts' results

The marathon, organized by Spor Istanbul (a structure of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality) with sponsorship from Türkiye İş Bankası, is billed as the world's only intercontinental marathon: the start is located 250 meters past the 15 July Martyrs Bridge on the Asian side of the city, and the finish is on Sultanahmet Square. The best Turkish athlete in the elite men's category was Hüseyin Can, who placed 11th with a time of 2:17:53 — a year earlier he had made the top 10, but this time he fell just short of it. He was followed by Mert Girmalegesse (12th, 2:18:47), Halil Yasin (14th, 2:19:31), Ahmet Alkanoglu (15th, 2:19:38), and Yavuz Agralı (16th, 2:21:44).