The 2026 Zurich Seville Marathon is decided in a photo finish with the season’s best time and victory for Ethiopia’s Tola Shura Kitata and Finland’s Alisa Vainio

He crosses the finish line tape ahead of his compatriot Abderehman Asrar Hiyrden with the same time of 2h03:59, only 32 seconds off the record of the Seville race, while in the women's category Alisa Vainio takes the win, having broken the Finnish national record with 2h20.39

Among the Spaniards, top positions for Ilias Fifa, 13th with 2h08.36, and the Andalusian Fátima Ouhaddou, fifth woman with 2h24:16

The Zurich Seville Marathon once again lived up to expectations and, honoring its status as the flattest course in Europe, with only 38 turns and 10 meters of elevation gain, delivered a great show and achieved the world-leading time of the year over the 42.195-kilometer distance. And with double prominence among the 200 elite runners on the start line, as the victory in the 41st edition was decided in a sprint and via photo finish between Ethiopians Tola Shura Kitata and Abderehman Asrar Hiyrden, who crossed the line in 2h03:59 and whose final positions had to be deliberated by the judges after they collapsed onto the finish mat from their effort.

Chasing the record of the Seville race until the final meters—and finishing only 32 seconds off the time set in 2024 by their compatriot Deresa Geleta with 2h03:27—their shared finish time stands not only as the world-leading performance of the year so far, but also the third-fastest time in the history of the Zurich Seville Marathon.

The final victory for Tola Shura Kitata, showing visible marks of the fall on his face and shoulders, adds to the record of the 2020 London Marathon champion, as well as the Rome and Frankfurt races, as he also achieved his personal best in the Andalusian capital, just as the runner-up, Abderehman Asrar Hiyrden, who won in Seville in 2022 with 2:04:43 (the course record at that moment). Likewise, fellow Ethiopian Bikila Dejene Hailu, who in the final kilometers dropped off the leading pack—18 strong at 10K and reduced to 5 by kilometer 35—completed the overall men's podium with 2:04.15.

With a total of 23 runners finishing under 2 hours and 10 minutes, the top Spanish finisher was Ilias Fifa, thirteenth with a time of 2h08.36, a qualifying mark for the European Championships in Birmingham in August. Behind him, 22nd with 2h09:55 was Chakib Lachgar, while debutant Alex García Carrillo, a world trail medalist, was third among the Spanish contingent with 2h12.10.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Robi Syianturi set a new national record with a time of 2h13:18, placing him 40th overall. Among the runners from Seville, the best was Rubén Álvarez, 77th with 2h22:37.

WOMEN'S CATEGORY

Among the women, with 14 runners finishing under 2 hours and 28 minutes, the victory went to the Finn Alisa Vainio, who, building strength over the final kilometers, overtook the African delegation, well off the Seville record (2h18:53) since kilometer 15, to take the win in 2h20.39, a new national record, improving her own previous mark of 2h20.48.

The Nordic athlete, fifth at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, becomes the first European winner in the Andalusian race since Spain’s Paula González Berodia did so in 2017.

Behind her, the women’s podium was completed by Kenyan Beatrice Jepchichir (2h21.56) and Ethiopian debutant Mulat Tekle (2h22.03), who, after leading the race until kilometer 35, paid the price for the early effort.

Italian Elisa Palmero, debuting with an impressive 2:24.10, finished fourth, just ahead of the top Spaniard, Andalusian Fátima Ouhaddou. The reigning European champion, who ran among the frontrunners for 15 kilometers, came close to her personal best with 2h24.16, a qualifying time for the next summer’s European Championships.

The podium among the Spanish runners was completed by popular athlete Estefanía Unzu ‘Verdeliss’ (2h45:39) and the Sevillian Alejandra Flores (2h46:29), a new record among women born in the province, in what was her second marathon.

In the wheelchair category, the overall victory went to the multiple-time Seville champion Rafael Botello (1h56:04), joined on the men’s podium by Joaquín García (1h57:47) and Jordi Madera (2h17:18), while among the women the win went to Carmen Giménez (2h17:18), repeating her success from 2024.

HISTORIC CAP OF 17,000 BIB NUMBERS

The Zurich Seville Marathon once again surpassed its historical registration figures this year. Participation rose to 17.000 runners, 200 elite athletes and 8,954 international runners from more than 100 nationalities, representing 53.07% of the total—a new milestone—along with the highest-ever female participation (21.42%) and the greatest number of runners from Seville and Andalusia, 2,596 and 3,689 respectively. Additionally, for the first time, more than 3,000 French runners took part, making France the second most represented country after Spain. And after the province of Seville, Madrid had the second-largest participation (1,336).