Ethiopians dominate with winning times of 2:03:17 and 2:16:42 as Brits Calli Hauger-Thackery and Phily Bowden run big PBs
In a race bereft of well-known stars such as Eliud Kipchoge, Tigist Assefa, Sifan Hassan and Kenenisa Bekele, it was Milkesa Mengesha and Tigist Ketema who made a name for themselves in the 50th Berlin Marathon on Sunday (Sept 29).
The Ethiopian duo completed a great day for their country with runners from the east African nation filling three of the top five places in the men’s race and sweeping the top four places in the women’s category.
Mengesha surged away from Cybrian Kotut of Kenya in the final half mile to win by five seconds in 2:03:17 as Haymanot Alew of Ethiopia was third in 2:03:31 and Stephen Kiprop of Kenya fourth in 2:03:37.
History Of Mengesha
On Berlin’s famously fast course, the men cruised through 5km in 14:25 and 10km in 28:42 before passing halfway in 60:57. There were still nine men in the lead group at 35km and these included Kibiwott Kandie, the former world half-marathon record-holder, although Mengesha was soon among those to get dropped, eventually finishing 13th. Similarly, Tadese Takele, another pre-race favourite, faded to seventh in the latter stages in 2:05:13 as Mengesha up ahead went from strength to strength.
Milkesa Mengesha (Getty)
“I had to stop at 38km in London Marathon earlier this year so I was worried about that happening again here,” said Mengesha. “But I had prepared well so everything was okay. I had the chance to run Chicago (Oct 14) but I knew the course was very fast in Berlin so I’m pleased I chose to run here.”
Only five years ago Mengesha won the world under-20 cross-country title on a gruelling course in Aarhus, Denmark. Among the runners behind him that day was Jakob Ingebrigtsen – the Norwegian finishing an exhausted 12th.
The 24-year-old ran 2:05:29 on his marathon debut in Valencia in 2022, then 2:10:43 to place sixth the World Champs in Budapest in 2023, plus a DNF in London this year, before enjoying this breakthrough victory in Berlin Mengesha.
Women’s winner Ketema began her running career as an 800m runner. The 26-year-old won bronze over that distance at the 2016 World Under-20 Championships in Poland and clocked 2:02.00 the following year, but she began to move on to the roads and in 2022 won the Great Ethiopian Run 10km – a right of passage for many up-and-coming runners from Ethiopia – and in 2023 she acted as a pacemaker in Faith Kipyegon’s world 5000m record run in Paris.
Tigist Ketema (Getty)
Ketema trains with her namesake – marathon world record-holder Assefa – and in the marathon she started this year with the fastest ever debut by a woman when she ran 2:16:07 to win in Dubai. She didn’t enjoy a great run in London in April as she clocked 2:23:21 in seventh but here in Berlin she ran almost as fast again as she clocked 2:16:42.
After passing 10km in 32:14 and halfway in 67:53, Ketema drew away from her female rivals and, surrounded by a large group of men, including her own pacemakers, she finished just over four minutes ahead of Mestawot Fikir, who ran 2:18:48, with Bosena Mulatie third in 2:19.00
“I’m very grateful that I was able to run here in Berlin and with the help of God I was able to win,” said Ketema.
Hauger-Thackery and Bowden excel
Calli Hauger-Thackery took almost a minute off her PB of 2:22:11 to clock 2:21:24 in seventh place.
The 31-year-old’s best came at the McKirdy Micro Marathon in New York last December. She went on to win bronze at the European half-marathon in Rome this year but dropped out of the Olympic marathon in Paris. In Berlin she was back in top form, though, as she cemented her No.2 position on the UK all-time rankings behind Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 national record.
Also excelling was Lisa Weightman as the Australian, who turned 45 in January, ran 2:24:40 – just over a minute outside her PB.
Phily Bowden, who went into the race leading the UK rankings for 2024 courtesy of her 2:29:14 from Houston in January, smashed her best to 2:25:47 in 15th to go No.9 on the UK all-time rankings just ahead of Veronique Marot, Sam Harrison and Natasha Cockram.
Another Brit, Georgia Malir, also ran a three-minute PB of 2:36:38 in 30th.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won his ninth Berlin Marathon wheelchair race title in 87:18 from runner-up David Weir of Britain in 89:05 as Catherine Debrunner made it a Swiss double as she took the women’s wheelchair race victory in 95:23 from Susannah Scaroni and Manuela Schar.
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