Tigst Assefa: The Fastest Woman to Ever Run a Marathon
On Sunday, Tigst Assefa shattered the women's world record at the Berlin Marathon by a remarkable two minutes.
Ethiopian runner Assefa, last year's Berlin winner, set a new women's record of 2:11:53, beating Brigid Kosgei's 2019 Chicago Marathon record.
Kipchoge maintained a solo run from the 32-kilometer (20-mile) mark onward, though he experienced a slight slowdown toward the finish.
Kipchoge completed the marathon in 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 42 seconds, over a minute and a half slower than his previous Berlin record.
At 29, Assefa, a former 800-meter Olympian, transitioned to marathons just two years ago. Her impressive 2:15:37 win last year defied expectations.
Assefa and Edesa set a rapid pace, passing 5K in 15:58 and 10K in 31:45, joined by 12 women running near world record pace.
Assefa and Edesa briefly led, but Assefa was alone by the halfway mark (1:06:20).
The top eight women completed the race in under 2:20, establishing it as the fastest women's marathon in history.
Annie Frisbie (2:27:02) and Jacqueline Gaughan (2:27:08) placed 17th and 18th, while Jane Bareikis was 21st with a time of 2:29:00.