Athens Marathon 2026: Taferi and Dusha make history on the classic route
By AthRecs Editorial · 4 min read
On the road from Marathon to Athens, Manazot Siyum Taferi beat a record that had stood since 2023. Yatane Dusha led the women's race home, while two Greek runners delivered performances of their own to remember.
The clock over the finish at the Panathenaic Stadium read 2:10:03 as Manazot Siyum Taferi became the fastest man to complete the Athens Authentic Marathon course. The Ethiopian had taken 31 seconds from Edwin Kiptoo’s 2023 record. His compatriot Asefa Tefera Mengisha was barely behind: 2:10:18 was also faster than the previous benchmark. It was an astonishing contest on a route whose reputation is built on its history and climbs rather than easy times.
At the 43rd edition on Sunday 8 November 2026, Ethiopia celebrated an equally important women's victory. Yatane Kormoshe Dusha reached the stadium in 2:30:04, bettering the women's event record that had survived since 2010. Tsiyon Abebe Temesgen followed in 2:30:29, and American Jane Jepkemboi Bareikis completed the podium. These were serious performances on one of the sport's most recognisable marathon routes.
Athens also had its own champions within the international race. Konstantinos Stamoulis finished eighth overall and first Greek man; Stamatia Noula was sixth among the women and the fastest Greek woman on the historic course. Their achievements belonged to the same Sunday as the headline records, and deserve to be remembered alongside them.
Taferi wins as Mengisha pushes him to the line
Taferi reached halfway in 1:06:50 and 30km in 1:35:02. The Ethiopian leaders had to work for their separation from the field: by the closing stages, the contest had become a race between Taferi and Mengisha. That final 15-second margin shows how little was settled until the run into Athens.
Mengisha's 2:10:18 was not merely second place. He too went under the former 2:10:34 record, a performance that should sit prominently beside Taferi's winning time. Patrick Keter Kiplagat of Kenya took a well-earned third in 2:11:22.
The next three finishers were Kenya's Vincent Kipsang Rono (2:12:06), Eritrea's Nguse Amlosom Tesfaldet (2:12:20) and Kenya's Victor Biwott (2:14:10). Konstantinos Stamoulis's eighth place in 2:17:37 gave the Greek crowd a leading home finisher to celebrate.
Road running · 42.195 km
Athens Marathon
Athens Authentic Marathon · reported 8 November 2026 leading places; check official final classifications
Men
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manazot Siyum Taferi | ETHEthiopia | 2:10:03 |
| 2 | Asefa Tefera Mengisha | ETHEthiopia | 2:10:18 |
| 3 | Patrick Keter Kiplagat | KENKenya | 2:11:22 |
Women
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yatane Kormoshe Dusha | ETHEthiopia | 2:30:04 |
| 2 | Tsiyon Abebe Temesgen | ETHEthiopia | 2:30:29 |
| 3 | Jane Jepkemboi Bareikis | USAUnited States | 2:32:59 |
Sources: 8 November Athens report · Official Athens results
Dusha makes the women's event record her own
Dusha and Temesgen separated from much of the women's field after halfway, then the final kilometres decided which Ethiopian would win. Dusha's 2:30:04 improved the 2:31:06 event mark established in 2010, with Temesgen only 25 seconds behind. Bareikis's bronze in 2:32:59 was an outstanding American contribution to an international women's podium.
Noula's sixth place and 2:35:13 was the fastest performance recorded by a Greek woman on the classic route. Athanasia Kokkorou followed in 2:36:28, another strong result for the host nation. Times from other Greek reporting differed slightly for Kokkorou; publication should retain the timing-provider value once the final organiser classification is confirmed.
At the weekend's 10K, Panagiotis Petroulakis won the men's event in 29:40, while Anastasia Marinakou secured the women's win in 33:07. Their results sit in a separate race classification, even though the celebrations happened during the same Athens programme.
Sources: Race-day leading results · Athens 10K report
A historic route, and results with lasting meaning
The race begins in Marathon and finishes inside the Panathenaic Stadium, following the classic course whose middle kilometres climb steadily towards Athens. The stadium finish is a familiar image around the world, but Sunday's racing gave it new names and times to remember.
For the thousands who set out behind the leaders, getting around that course was an achievement of a different order from challenging an elite record. AthRecs will preserve official category placings as they become available, rather than assume an overall placing is an age-group award. The site should distinguish provisional coverage from the final timing-provider record.
Sources: World Athletics and organiser results · Race-day Athens report
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Athens Marathon?
Manazot Siyoum Taferi won the men's marathon in 2:10:03 and Yatane Kormoshe Dusha won the women's marathon in 2:30:04.
Was a record broken at the 2026 Athens Marathon?
Taferi broke the men's course record, while Dusha improved the women's event record. The two record categories should not be conflated.