Istanbul Marathon 2026: Kipchumba breaks course record in 2:08:45

Philimon Kipchumba won the Istanbul Marathon 2026 on Sunday 1 November in 2:08:45, a course record. The Kenyan caught Shadrack Kenduiywo shortly before the 40-kilometre mark and went on to win the 48th edition of the race. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Kasanesh Baze won in 2:24:41.

Kenduiywo breaks away and Kipchumba catches him before 40 kilometres

After a slow opening five kilometres, Kenduiywo decided to run alone. The Kenyan passed the half marathon mark in 61:58 and reached 25 kilometres in 1:13:40, with a two-minute lead. At 35 kilometres, he still had 1:14 over his pursuers.

Kipchumba, Sufaro Woliyi, Vincent Ronoh and Gemechu Yadesa caught him shortly before the 40-kilometre mark. Kenduiywo finished eighth. “At 38 km I knew it was over,” he explained.

Kipchumba pulled away on the final climb and reached the finish ten seconds ahead of Woliyi. His time improved the previous course record by 59 seconds, set at 2:09:44 by Daniel Kibet in 2019.

“Breaking away like that on a course like this is suicidal, it can’t work. That’s why we were sure we would catch him,” Kipchumba said of Kenduiywo’s strategy.

The 28-year-old winner lives and trains in Iten under the guidance of Renato Canova. His personal best is 2:05:35, achieved when he won in Shanghai three years ago. “My next goal is to improve my personal best. In the future I want to run times between 2:01 and 2:02,” he said.

In total, seven men ran under 2:10. Before this edition, only three had done so in the entire history of the race.

Baze wins as Ethiopian women sweep the podium

The women’s race passed 10 kilometres in 33:39 and the half marathon mark in 71:15, with ten athletes in the group. Kasanesh Baze pulled away on the final climb towards the finish in Sultanahmet to win in 2:24:41.

“As we approached the hill in the final stretch, I was confident I could win,” Baze said. The 27-year-old Ethiopian has a personal best of 2:19:39, set in Hamburg in April 2026.

Azmera Abreha finished second, seven seconds behind, and debutant Diribe Alemu completed the podium. Ethiopian athletes took the top five places. Defending champion Bizuager Aderra was tenth in 2:34:42.

Istanbul Marathon 2026 results

Men’s podium

• Philimon Kipchumba (Kenya): 2:08:45
• Sufaro Woliyi (Ethiopia): 2:08:55
• Vincent Ronoh (Kenya): 2:08:58

Gemechu Yadesa was fourth in 2:09:00. The top Turkish finisher was Hüseyin Can, eleventh in 2:17:53.

Women’s podium

• Kasanesh Baze (Ethiopia): 2:24:41
• Azmera Abreha (Ethiopia): 2:24:48
• Diribe Alemu (Ethiopia): 2:25:01

Both winners took home 50,000 dollars each.

A course between Asia and Europe

The world’s only intercontinental marathon starts on the Asian side, beside the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, and finishes in Sultanahmet Square in Europe. The race, organised by Spor Istanbul, part of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, holds a World Athletics Gold Label.

Across all events, there were 45,000 entrants from 143 countries. The marathon had 8,427 entrants, a record and 41% more than in 2025. Dates, distances and requirements are available in our Istanbul Marathon guide and on the official race website.

On the same Sunday, the New York City Marathon was won by Almgren and Chepkirui. And if you are already thinking about December, here is the Valencia Marathon 2026 elite field.