Tigst Assefa Targets World Record at 2026 Berlin Marathon Following Sabastian Sawe's Injury Withdrawal

The streets of the German capital are bracing for another assault on the history books. When the 52nd BMW Berlin Marathon gets underway on September 27, 2026, the famously flat, fast loop through the Tiergarten will serve as the battleground for Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who is returning to the exact asphalt where she shattered the world record three years ago. With 60,000 runners from 160 nations expected to toe the line, the stakes at the front of the elite pack have rarely been higher.[1][2]

Assefa is not hiding her intentions. In 2023, she stunned the athletics world by clocking 2:11:53 in Berlin, a mark that stood until Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich ran 2:09:56 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Chepngetich retains the outright record despite currently serving a doping suspension stemming from a March 2025 sample, and Assefa wants the crown back. "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 announced in a press release. "I am excited to once again try to break the world record."[2][5]

The Ethiopian superstar arrives in peak form. In April 2026, Assefa set the women-only marathon world record—running without male pacemakers—by clocking 2:15:41 to win the London Marathon. Now, back in a mixed-gender race format that allows for optimized pacing behind male runners, the 2:10 barrier is firmly in her crosshairs.[2][7]

She will not be running unchallenged. The women's elite field is arguably the deepest of the autumn major season. Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru returns to defend her 2025 Berlin title, having won last year's grueling, heat-soaked race in 2:21:05. Amane Beriso, the 2023 world champion, and Bedatu Hirpa, who claimed victories in both Dubai and Paris last year, are also lining up to push the pace.[1][3]

While the women's race features a clear headliner, the men's contest was thrown wide open by a late, seismic withdrawal. Sabastian Sawe, the defending Berlin champion who made global headlines in April 2026 by running a staggering 1:59:30 in London to become the first man to officially break the two-hour barrier, pulled out of the race on August 27.[3][4][6]

Sawe's exit deprives the event of its biggest active male star. "It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that I am forced to withdraw from the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon due to injury," the 31-year-old Kenyan stated via his social channels. "I had been looking forward to achieving something special on the streets of Berlin and crossing the finish line at the Brandenburg Gate." SCC Events provided no further medical details regarding the injury.[4][6]

With the sub-two-hour man sidelined, the men's race becomes a tactical duel between proven veterans. Tanzania's Gabriel Geay inherits the mantle of the fastest man in the field. Geay, the 2023 Boston Marathon runner-up, boasts a personal best of 2:03:00 from Valencia in 2022—a time that still ranks comfortably inside the top 20 fastest ever run.[2][3]

Geay's primary challenger knows the Berlin course intimately. Ethiopia's Guye Adola made his marathon debut here in 2017, pushing Eliud Kipchoge to the limit and finishing in 2:03:46. Adola returned to win the Berlin title outright in 2021 and proved his enduring fitness this spring by taking the Rotterdam Marathon crown in 2:03:54.[3]

Beyond the international heavyweights, local eyes will be fixed on the German domestic contingent. Esther Pfeiffer is set to make her highly anticipated marathon debut under professional race conditions. The 27-year-old is openly targeting the German national women's record of 2:19:19, a mark that would require her to maintain a blistering pace in her first attempt at the 42.195-kilometer distance.[1][2]

The sheer scale of the event underscores its status on the Abbott World Marathon Majors circuit. "The BMW Berlin-Marathon 2026 once again promises to be an event of superlatives," Race Director Mark Milde noted. "Berlin remains the stage for records, emotions and remarkable sporting achievements."[1]

For the elite fields, the equation on September 27 is simple. The course profile offers no excuses, the pacers will be dialed in, and the weather in late September traditionally provides the cool, crisp conditions required for peak endurance performance. If Assefa finds her rhythm early, the crowds at the Brandenburg Gate could witness another historic rewrite of the marathon record books.[2][5]