Porto Marathon 2026: Kigen wins by 17 seconds and Heshe leads the women
By AthRecs Editorial · 3 min read
Vincent Kipkorir Kigen needed every bit of his lead in Porto, while Ergat Kahsay Heshe won the women's race with authority. Portugal's own athletes and the 10K winners supplied further stories.
A marathon decided by 17 seconds, a commanding women's champion and the return of the course to Vila Nova de Gaia gave the 22nd Porto Marathon a distinctive chapter on Sunday 8 November. Kenya's Vincent Kipkorir Kigen won in 2:11:00, holding off Ethiopia's Tissa Dibisa Admasu across the final kilometres.
Kigen arrived with a faster personal best than his Porto winning time: 2:07:44 at the Barcelona Marathon earlier in 2026. That depth of ability did not make the Portuguese race straightforward, however; Admasu ran 2:11:17 to finish a close second.
Ergat Kahsay Heshe took the women's title for Ethiopia in 2:28:08, comfortably clear of Kenya's Nelly Jepleting Tirop. Behind the elite podiums, Fernando Serrão and Miriam Martins were the leading Portuguese marathon finishers, adding important national performances to the day's record.
Porto Marathon's men's and women's leading three
Kigen's 2:11:00 brought victory over Admasu (2:11:17) and Kenya's Vincent Kiprono (2:11:40). The two runners behind the winner improved their published personal bests, according to Portuguese race-day reporting. Kigen succeeded 2025 champion Aspel Kiprop, though the event's men's 2:08:58 record was not threatened.
Heshe won in 2:28:08, ahead of Nelly Jepleting Tirop (2:32:07) and Netsanet Tafere Desta (2:35:20). Meskerem Asefa Wolde was fourth in 2:36:13, an important placing in a women's field that offered more depth than the top three alone suggest.
Heshe's winning time was impressive without being a course record: the event's women's mark stands at 2:26:58, set by Monica Jepkoech in 2017. The distinction between being champion and being a record-holder matters to an accurate historical archive.
Road running · 42.195 km
Porto Marathon
22nd Porto Marathon · race-day podium reporting via Lusa
Men
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincent Kipkorir Kigen | KENKenya | 2:11:00 |
| 2 | Tissa Dibisa Admasu | ETHEthiopia | 2:11:17 |
| 3 | Vincent Kiprono | KENKenya | 2:11:40 |
Women
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ergat Kahsay Heshe | ETHEthiopia | 2:28:08 |
| 2 | Nelly Jepleting Tirop | KENKenya | 2:32:07 |
| 3 | Netsanet Tafere Desta | ETHEthiopia | 2:35:20 |
Sources: Lusa race report
Serrão and Martins lead Portugal's finishers
Fernando Serrão, representing São Salvador do Campo, ran 2:22:58 for ninth place overall, making him the fastest Portuguese man at the 2026 marathon. Miriam Martins placed fifth woman in 2:52:36 and was the leading Portuguese woman. Their places are worth recording alongside the podium medals.
The 10K events brought Portuguese winners too. Simão Bastos of ACD Jardim da Serra ran 30:11 to win the men's race, while Maria Vinagre of Salgueiros led the women in 34:27. Nuno Fernandes and Magri Luca completed the men's podium; Sara Catarina Ribeiro and Ana Silva completed the women's.
About 15,000 entries were reported across the Porto programme, with some 9,000 registered for the marathon. Those are registration numbers, not verified finishers. The course returned to Vila Nova de Gaia after 2025 roadworks had kept the race on a different route.
Sources: Porto race-day report · Official Porto Marathon event
The Porto 10K winners
Simão Bastos took the men's 10K in 30:11, followed by Nuno Fernandes (30:31) and Magri Luca (31:23). Maria Vinagre led the women's race in 34:27, with Sara Catarina Ribeiro second (36:42) and Ana Silva third (37:26).
The shorter event deserves its own standings. A national race weekend can have several champions, and AthRecs should preserve them by distance, classification and edition without relying on assumptions about age-group medals.
| Division | Place | Athlete | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 1 | Simão Bastos | 30:11 |
| Men | 2 | Nuno Fernandes | 30:31 |
| Men | 3 | Magri Luca | 31:23 |
| Women | 1 | Maria Vinagre | 34:27 |
| Women | 2 | Sara Catarina Ribeiro | 36:42 |
| Women | 3 | Ana Silva | 37:26 |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Porto Marathon?
Vincent Kipkorir Kigen won the men's marathon in 2:11:00 and Ergat Kahsay Heshe won the women's marathon in 2:28:08.
Who were the fastest Portuguese marathoners in Porto?
Fernando Serrão led the Portuguese men in 2:22:58 and Miriam Martins led the Portuguese women in 2:52:36.