BARCELONA, SPAIN, March 15 — Fotyen Tesfay and coach Gemedu Dedefo had high hopes for her marathon debut. As the 28-year-old Ethiopian declared afterwards, ”My plan was to attack the World Record.”
Audacious as it may seem, history’s third-fastest woman over the half-marathon distance ran under WR pace through 37K of the Zurich Marathon Barcelona and held on to finish in 2:10:51, becoming the No. 2 all-time marathoner.
“Today was fantastic,” Tesfay said, “but not what I was expecting. There was a lot of wind and I was not able to push in the last part of the race, but it is good.”
Tesfay’s “good” trails only Ruth Chepngetich’s WR 2:09:56 clocking, now tainted by a subsequent 3-year doping ban. Tesfay’s near-WR debut supplants training mate Tigst Assefa’s 2:11:53 as No. 2 on the all-time list and as the Ethiopian Record.
Dedefo was duly impressed with his latest revelation: “What an extraordinary run by Fotyen. This is not just a race time — it is a powerful statement of dedication, strength and Ethiopian excellence in long distance running.
“A big appreciation also goes to the entire team behind this fabulous performance, the coaches and trainers, and especially the [male] pacemakers Shumi Dechasa and Mogos Tuemay who helped guide such a historic run.”
No doubt, Tesfay was very well prepared for her marathon debut — one long in the making. Hailing from Tigray in Ethiopia’s north, she ran 4:23.37 as a 16-year-old in 2014 to win the African Youth Championships. Competing on Ethiopian U20 teams she finished 4th in the World Juniors 3000 in ’16, and 6th in XC in 2017.
As her international career swept into full swing, Tesfay went on to win the Ethiopian Olympic Trials 10,000 in ’24 and followed with 7th- and 8th-place Olympic and World Champs finishes in the past two seasons.
Tesfay spent the 5 months before Barcelona preparing for her debut in the 26-miler. Not such a daunting task as Dedefo has a long history of successfully escorting track athletes to the marathon — seemingly without fear of the distance.
Training in a group that includes Assefa, Hawi Feysa (2:14:57) and Amane Beriso (2:14:58), along with the steady presence of their male pacers, Tesfay was able to develop and gauge WR fitness.
On to Barcelona. Though not a historically fast venue with course records of 2:04:13 and 2:19:33, the rather flat route looping back and forth throughout the city center was deemed fast enough. Without significant competition, Gemedu and Fotyen planned and trained for a sub-2:10 stunner.
Starting at 3:07 kilo pace, Tesfay & Co. (her pacers) cruised the opening 5K in 15:38, then sped up to 15:25 to pass 10K in 31:03 — 2:11:01 pace. With a clear road ahead of them the trio split 15:19 over back-to-back 5Ks to hit 20K in 61:41 and cross halfway in 65:03.
With the targeted WR within reach, Dechasa and Tuemay did their part, lifting the pace. Tesfay stayed smooth through a 15:09 split to 25K (1:16:50), now under WR pace at 2:09:41.
Sticking with the subsequent 15:10 was much more of a challenge — for good reason as she crossed 30K in 1:32:00, 2:09:24 pace.
That proved to be the breaking point as the final 12K was an exercise in perseverance. Tesfay managed to hang onto 2:10 pace through closing 5K segments of 15:34 and 15:57 and a 7:20 last 2.2 to become the second woman under 2:11:00 — and 5:00 mile pace.
Tesfay has an ever-ready smile and a lot of power packed into her petite frame. Carrying her left hand slightly higher than the right, she was able to maintain a smooth, rhythmical stride deep into the race.
Tesfay also excels in what Dedefo deems a most crucial aspect of women’s racing: an unshakable resolve to stick with pacers. That was evident in the final kilometers as a fully spent Tesfay got ’er done.
“What I experienced here today has been incredible,” Ethiopia’s new queen of the marathon beamed. “The whole race was spectacular, everyone was cheering for me, they pushed me all the kilometers towards the finish line. Today I did not succeed, but in the next marathon I would like to try again for the World Record.”
BARCELONA MARATHON WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Fotyen Tesfay (Eth) 2:10:51 NR (WL) (2, 2 W) (15:38, 15:25 [31:03], 15:19 [46:22], 15:19 [1:01:41], 45:53 [1:47:34], 15:57 [2:03:31], 7:20) (1:05:03/1:05:48); 2. Joan Jepkosgei (Ken) 2:18:40 PR; 3. Zeineba Yimer (Eth) 2:18:47 PR; 4. Chaltu Chimdesa (Eth) 2:23:30; 5. Yalganesh Eskemeche (Eth) 2:24:03 PR.
BARCELONA MEN’S RESULTS
1. Abel Chelangat (Uga) 2:04:56 PR; 2. Patrick Mosin (Ken) 2:04:59 PR; 3. Jonathan Korir (Ken) 2:05:27 PR; 4. Moses Kemei (Ken) 2:05:51 PR; 5. Kaan Kigen Özbilen (Tur) 2:05:59; 6. Haile Tigabu (Eri) 2:06:18 PR; 7. Timothy Katam (Ken) 2:06:40 PR; 8. Philimon Kipchumba (Ken) 2:06:53. ◻︎
