Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay ran an incredible 2:10:51 to win the Zurich Barcelona Marathon in Spain on Sunday 15 March, recording the second-fastest time in world history for a woman and the fastest-ever debut at the distance.

She won the race by almost eight minutes…

The 28-year-old started the race as the third-fastest women’s half-marathon runner in history and ended it by surpassing that feat over double the distance, finishing within a minute of the world marathon record.

Tsfay boasts stellar credentials that include running the third-fastest half marathon in world history (1:03:04, Valencia 2024), placing seventh in the 10K at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and eighth at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in the 10 000m. She worked with two male pacemakers on Sunday, covering 10K in 31:05 and the halfway mark in 1:05:05. She passed 30K in 1:32 and 40K in 2:03:31, as windy conditions started to take their toll on the group.

Her target was the world record of 2:09:56 set by Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya in Chicago in 2024, and Tesfay looked determined as she went through 40km in 2:03:31. Chepngetich is currently serving a three-year ban for testing positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic used to flush out prohibited substances from an athlete’s system. She tested positive in March 2025, and her results from then on were disqualified, but her world record still stands.

While Tesfay was unable to dip under 2:10 this time, she was rewarded with the fastest ever women’s marathon debut, an Ethiopian record and the second-quickest performance in history.

“Today was fantastic – not what I was expecting, but it is good,” she told the race broadcaster, speaking through an interpreter.

“I planned to attack the world record, but today there was a lot of wind, and I was not able to push in the last part of the race. Today I did not succeed, but in the next marathon I would like to try for the world record.”

She won the race by almost eight minutes ahead of Kenya’s Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo, who ran 2:18:42, while Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer was third in 2:18:49.

In the men’s race, Uganda’s Abel Chelangat and Kenya’s Patrick Mosin broke away, and Chelangat tracked his rival through 40km in 1:58:40. Chelangat made his move as they reached a water station, and he looked in control as he strode away with two hours on the clock.

Mosin couldn’t respond, and Chelangat clinched the win unchallenged, clocking 2:04:57 to Mosin’s 2:05:01. Kenya’s Jonathan Samanayo Korir was third in 2:05:29.

Leading results

Women
1 Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) 2:10:51
2 Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo (KEN) 2:18:42
3 Zeineba Yimer (ETH) 2:18:49
4 Chaltu Chimdesa Kumsa (ETH) 2:23:32
5 Yalganesh Eskamech Gedefa (ETH) 2:24:05

Men
1 Abel Chelangat (UGA) 2:04:57
2 Patrick Mosin (KEN) 2:05:01
3 Jonathan Samanayo Korir (KEN) 2:05:29
4 Moses Kipngetich Kemei (KEN) 2:05:53
5 Kaan Kigen Özbilen (TUR) 2:06:01

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