Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia secured a stunning victory at the 2024 Berlin Marathon, setting a personal best of 2 hours, 3 minutes, and 17 seconds on Sunday. His compatriot, Tigist Ketema, dominated the women’s race with a time of 2:16:42, still awaiting official confirmation.
The 24-year-old Mengesha surged ahead in the final stages, finishing strong in the 50th edition of the race, beating Kenyans Cyprian Kotut and Stephen Kiprop, while Haymanot Alew of Ethiopia took fourth.
Perfect conditions on a crisp autumn day in Berlin set the stage for this historic event, marking the first Berlin Marathon since 2014 without Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele. With 58,212 runners from 161 nations registered, the event continued its legacy as the course with the most world records — 13 — despite expectations of no records being broken so soon after the Paris Olympics in August.