Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay ran 2:10:53 in her first marathon Sunday, the fastest debut in women’s marathon history and the second-fastest time ever recorded.
The 28-year-old Ethiopian, ranked third all time in the women’s half marathon going into the race, won the Zurich Barcelona Marathon by nearly eight minutes.
Only Ruth Chepngetich’s world record of 2:09:56, set in Chicago last year, stands ahead of her.
Tesfay tracked two male pacemakers through the first 10 kilometers in 31:05, reached halfway in 1:05:05, and hit 30 kilometers in 1:32:00.
She went through 40 kilometers in 2:03:31 before wind disrupted her closing pace. The result was still an Ethiopian record.
“My plan was to attack the world record,” she told the race broadcaster through an interpreter. Wind in the final kilometers cost her, she said, but she intends to make another attempt at the record in her next race.
Kenya’s Joan Jepkosgei Kiplimo was second in 2:18:42. Ethiopia’s Zeineba Yimer took third in 2:18:49.
In the men’s race, Uganda’s Abel Chelangat pulled away from Kenya’s Patrick Mosin near a water station with two hours on the clock and won in 2:04:57.
Mosin finished four seconds back in 2:05:01. Kenya’s Jonathan Samanayo Korir was third in 2:05:29.
Tesfay previously finished seventh at the Paris 2024 Olympics and eighth at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in the 10,000 meters.
