Defending champion Dejene Debela and fellow-Ethiopian Tigst Getnet head the elite fields of the 47th Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon on Sunday with personal bests of 2:05:46 and 2:23:17 respectively. The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race once again features strong international fields. Half a dozen men have personal records between 2:05:30 and 2:09:00 while six women are on the current start list who have run below 2:26:00.
Around 6,000 runners will compete in Sunday’s Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon with its unique course that leads the athletes from the Asian side of the city over the Bosphorus and into Europe. Adding races at shorter distances organisers have registered a total of 42,000 runners for their event. The Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon is the major athletics event of the country. “We have a Gold Label race which will already see its 47th edition on Sunday. We intend to further develop and strengthen the position of the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon. Since Istanbul is a candidate city for the Olympic Games in 2036 our marathon has an important role to play for the Olympic bid,“ said Race Director Bilge Donuk.
The men’s race
Dejene Debela ran his personal best of 2:05:46 in Chicago back in 2019. After a longer period with injury problems he came back strong last year and celebrated his biggest career win in Istanbul. “It was very windy last year, so this time I hope for a much faster time,“ said the Ethiopian, who ran 2:11:40 here in 2025. Organisers will probably instruct the pacemakers to go through half way in around 63:30 to 63:45 and Dejene Debela would be happy with such a pace. Fully concentrating on the marathon distance he has only competed once this year, but did not finish the Wuxi Marathon in China in March. “My shape was not strong enough and I felt that I might pick up an injury. That was why I dropped out at around the half marathon point,“ said 30 year-old Dejene Debela, who trains in Addis Ababa. “I am well prepared for Sunday and ready to defend my title.“
Kenya’s Rhonzas Kilimo and Sufaro Woliyi of Ethiopia will be among the runners challenging Dejene Debela on Sunday. 29 year-old Kilimo has a 2:06:09 PB from last year and several years of experience as a marathon runner. In contrast Woliyi is a 22 year-old newcomer who ran a fine 2:07:19 debut in Xiamen, China, this January.
Benard Kipkorir will have the advantage of knowing the Istanbul marathon course when he returns. The Kenyan was fourth here a year ago with 2:12:50 but in the meantime clocked a personal record of 2:08:12 when he was runner-up in Chongqing, China, in March. Unfortunately fellow-Kenyan Denis Chirchir had to cancel his start due to a stress fracture earlier this week. Jake Robertson of New Zealand is also out injured.
The women’s race
Two training partners are among the major favourites in the women’s race. Tigst Getnet and Sofia Assefa are the fastest on the start list with their personal bests of 2:23:17 and 2:23:33. Both are coached by Assefa’s husband Kirubel Damtew in Addis Ababa.
37 year-old Sofia Assefa, who was a world-class Steeplechaser and won an Olympic silver medal in 2012 as well as a bronze medal at the World Championships a year later, is still relatively new to the marathon. She ran a fine 2:23:33 debut in Amsterdam two years ago, then did not finish at the Valencia Marathon in 2024 and this year was runner-up at the Copenhagen Marathon in May with 2:26:21. Assefa is said to be in better form than before her spring marathon and coming to Istanbul she wants to achieve a podium place and will try to go for victory. Her training partner Tigst Getnet is 15 years younger but has already run half a dozen races over the classic distance. But parallel to Assefa her best race so far was her debut back in 2023: Getnet was fifth in Dubai with 2:23:17. She competed in this year’s Copenhagen Marathon as well, crossing the line three places behind Assefa with 2:30:54.
While Yenenesh Tilahun Dinkesa and Letebrhan Gebreslasea have sub 2:25 PBs as well with 2:24:09 and 2:24:47 respectively, fellow-Ethiopians Roman Gidey may be one to watch on Sunday. She ran two strong marathons within a fortnight last year. The 29 year-old was third in her debut with her current PB of 2:25:22 in Guangzhou, China. Two weeks later she took another marathon in the same city with 2:26:38. A newcomer is probably the strongest Kenyan on a start list dominated by Ethiopian runners: 21 year-old Joan Kilimo ran a fine debut this spring when she was runner-up in the Milano Marathon with 2:25:32.
Unfortunately Ruth Jebet has withdrawn from Sunday’s race at short notice. The defending champion has been selected for the Islamic Solidarity Games, which will start in a week in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, by her national federation of Bahrain.
Elite Runners with Personal Bests:
MEN:
Dejene Debela ETH 2:05:46
Rhonzas Kilimo KEN 2:06:09
Sufaro Woliyi ETH 2.07:19
Benard Kipkorir KEN 2:08:12
Isaac Too KEN 2:08:45
Charles Mneria KEN 2:08:54
Hillary Kipchumba KEN 2:09:53
Yavuz Agrali TUR 2:10:41
Mert Girmalegesse TUR 2:11:07
Shadrack Koech KAZ 2:11:21
Hüseyin Can TUR 2:11:56
Aman Kadi ETH 2:12:46
Dominick Bett KEN 2:13:13
WOMEN:
Tigst Getnet ETH 2:23:17
Sofia Assefa ETH 2:23:33
Yenenesh Tilahun Dinkesa ETH 2:24:09
Letebrhan Gebreslasea ETH 2:24:47
Roman Gidey ETH 2:25:22
Joan Kilimo KEN 2:25:32
Adanech Mekonnen ETH 2:26:01
Gete Dukale ETH 2:26:08
Lucy Cheruiyot KEN 2:27:16
Melkam Tesfahun ETH 2:27:28
Meryem Erdogan TUR 2:27:57
Bizuager Aderra ETH 2:28:27
Rael Cherop KEN 2:29:15
More information is available at: https://maraton.istanbul
Please note: You may use the attached photo, showing Race Director Bilge Donuk handing the bib number to defending champion Dejene Debela, only in conjunction with this news release with the following credit: Spor Istanbul
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