Ethiopian records at the 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon as the new all-electric i3 debuts as lead vehicle
Tigst Assefa set a women's course record and Guye Adola won the men's race in a personal best as BMW's new all-electric i3 made its debut as the marathon's lead vehicle.
- 2:11:04 hours
- 2:02:50 hours
- more than 84,000
- up to 906 km
What Happened
Tigst Assefa won the women's race in a course record of 2:11:04 hours, her third BMW BERLIN-MARATHON victory after wins in 2022 and 2023. The 29-year-old Ethiopian was still on world-record pace at the 40-kilometre mark, which would have been the seventh world record at the event, before muscle problems cost her around a minute and a half. Bedatu Hirpa (2:16:53) and Dera Dida (2:16:55) completed an Ethiopian sweep of the podium in the 15th edition of the race, held in ideal weather conditions.
Guye Adola wins the men's race in Berlin for the first time.
Tigst Assefa wins her first BMW BERLIN-MARATHON title.
Assefa wins the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON again.
Assefa sets a women's course record of 2:11:04 hours and Adola wins the men's race in a personal best of 2:02:50.
Guye Adola won the men's race in a personal best of 2:02:50 hours, a second Berlin triumph for the 35-year-old after his 2021 win. He finished well ahead of Gemechu Dida Diriba (ETH, 2:03:19) and Gabriel Gerald Geay (TAN, 2:03:59). The fastest German runners were Haftom Welday, 16th in 2:08:25, and Anna Langerwisch, 16th in a personal best of 2:27:31.
“On behalf of BMW, I would like to warmly congratulate Tigst Assefa and Guye Adola on their impressive victories at the BMW BERLIN MARATHON. Our congratulations also go to all participants on their individual achievements. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who, once again, has turned the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON into such a diverse international sporting event; the organising team at SCC EVENTS, the 5,700 volunteers and the fans lining the route, whose enthusiasm contributes so much to the atmosphere of this event.”
The new all-electric BMW i3 served as lead vehicle for the men's race, its debut in that role. BMW describes it as the first all-electric BMW 3 Series, the second model in the Neue Klasse and a technological quantum leap into a new era. The all-electric BMW iX3, BMW iX, BMW i5 and BMW i4 also took to the course as organisational vehicles. More than 84,000 people from 162 nations took part in the various sporting events over the weekend and 350 BMW Group employees from around the world completed the 42.195 kilometres; both the participant total and the number of nations are records. BMW adds that its own workforce spans more than 110 nations worldwide.
906km
BMW says the figure is provisional and that the car could complete all World Marathon Majors in a two-and-a-half-year period without recharging.
Previously from BMW
Two days before the race, BMW was confirmed as title partner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON for the 15th time, with the new all-electric BMW i3 set to lead the men's elite field. More than 84,000 athletes from 162 nations were due to take part.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of BMW's official releases.
Why this matters
BMW's 15th year as title partner of the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON doubled as the debut of the new all-electric BMW i3, which led the men's race. A record 84,000 participants from 162 nations took part across the weekend's events, and 350 BMW Group employees completed the 42.195-kilometre course.
Terms in This Story
- Neue Klasse
- German for "New Class"; a name used by BMW for a new generation of models.
- World Marathon Majors
- A group of the world's most prestigious marathon races.
- WLTP
- Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure, the standardised test used in Europe to measure vehicle consumption and emissions values.
- Lead vehicle
- A vehicle that drives ahead of the elite field during a road race.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.