Ethiopia's Manazot Siyoum Tafery wins Athens Marathon in 2:10:03 course record

The winning run

The 43rd Authentic Marathon of Athens was run on Sunday, 8 November 2026, over the classic 42.195 km route from Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium. Manazot Siyoum Tafery of Ethiopia crossed the finish line first in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 3 seconds, setting a new course record. Reports describe a keenly contested battle for first place, and Tafery is said to have set his own pace over the distance. Race conditions were favourable, with no heat, rain or humidity, according to the Kathimerini report. As he entered the stadium, Tafery was cheered to the sound of syrtaki music, according to NewsIT.

Course record

The previous course record stood at 2:10:34, set in 2023 by Kenya's Edwin Kiptoo. Tafery's time beat that mark by 31 seconds, which the reports describe as more than half a minute. The new mark applies to the classic route, the same course the race has always used from Marathon to the stadium. Kathimerini noted that records were also set in other categories, though the report does not detail them.

Podium and top five

Ethiopia took the first two places. Asefa Tefera Mengisha finished second in 2:10:18, 15 seconds behind the winner. Kenya's Patrick Keter Kiplagat was third in 2:11:22, and his compatriot Vincent Kipsang Rono came fourth in 2:12:06. Eritrea's Ngouse Amlosom Tesfaldet completed the top five in 2:12:20. Athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya filled the top four places, and the top five times match across every report that lists them.

Greek finishers and the rest of the top eight

Konstantinos Stamoulis was the first Greek finisher and placed eighth overall. NewsIT gives his time as 2:17:37, while in.gr reports 2:17:42, so the two versions disagree. NewsIT's full top eight also lists Victor Kipketch Biwott of Kenya sixth in 2:14:10 and Antane Nega of Ethiopia seventh in 2:17:30. In.gr also named Stamoulis as the first Greek to cross the line, making him the only Greek name among the leading finishers in the reports. Early coverage from the morning described the race as still in progress, with foreign and Greek athletes gradually making their way to the finish.

The day in Athens

NEWS 24/7 framed the day as a celebration for Greek sport, with thousands of athletes taking part in the 43rd edition and Athens at the centre of the global running scene. The winner's entry into the stadium was greeted with applause, while the reports agree that the top finishers were settled before the rest of the field arrived. The sources give no further details on the wider programme of the event.