The short version: At the Berlin Marathon on September 27, Tigst Assefa ran 2:11:04, a course record and the third-fastest women’s marathon ever. She was on world-record pace at 40 km before her right Achilles ruptured in the final two kilometers. Guye Adola won the men’s race in 2:02:50. All six podium finishers wore the same adidas shoe.
Results
| Place | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guye Adola (ETH), 2:02:50 | Tigst Assefa (ETH), 2:11:04 |
| 2 | Dida Deriba (ETH), 2:03:19 | Bedatu Hirpa (ETH), 2:16:53 |
| 3 | Gabriel Geay (TAN), 2:03:59 | Dera Dida (ETH), 2:16:55 |
Results as reported by The Running Channel. Adola’s time is a personal best and his second Berlin win.
Assefa’s last two kilometers
Assefa went through 40 km in about 2:03:00, inside the pace for Ruth Chepngetich’s world record of 2:09:56. Then it fell apart: she needed about eight minutes for the final 2.2 km and finished almost six minutes ahead of second place anyway.
The next day her manager told AFP it was a complete rupture of the tendon. Pain began after 31 km, grew worse around 40 km, and the tendon gave way in the last two kilometers. She had surgery in Munich on September 28 and is expected to be out about seven months, with the London Marathon in April 2027 a possible comeback. (Early reports called it a partial tear; we are going with her manager’s account.)
It is an extreme case, but a useful reminder for anyone in a fall build: Achilles pain that gets worse as you run is a reason to stop, not push on. If something hurts during a long run, see a sports medicine professional before the next one.
A podium in one shoe
All six medalists wore the adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, The Running Channel reported, a sweep of both races. The Evo is adidas’s ultra-light elite racer. The shoe most of us would actually buy is the new Adios Pro 5; see our Alphafly 4 vs. Adios Pro 5 comparison.
Top Americans
- Men: Charlie Sweeney was the top American in 2:09:33 (23rd), followed by Will Nation (2:11:08), Lars Dewall (2:12:13) and T-Roy Brown (2:12:38), per World-Track.
- Women: Rebecca Schmitt ran a personal best of 2:27:38, just ahead of Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:43). Allie Kieffer ran 2:30:41.
What’s next
- Chicago, October 11. The next World Marathon Major. Our Chicago guide covers how to watch from Texas and the Aggie leading the U.S. women; Kipruto and Feysa won, and our Chicago 2026 results have the details.
- New York, November 1. The 50th five-borough race, with a two-time Houston champion in the field. See our NYC Marathon preview.
- Your own marathon. Houston and Dallas are sold out, but the San Antonio Marathon (Dec. 6) is open, and every other option is on our Texas marathon calendar. Chasing a Boston time? Read our Boston cutoff explainer.
