The Week in Endurance #1: Adola flies, Assefa battles on in Berlin

A 35-year-old running faster than ever. A record-breaker finishing the last two kilometres on sheer will. And a 78-year-old Berliner lined up for his fiftieth start. Sunday's Berlin Marathon had it all. Welcome to the first Week in Endurance: the news that matters, and what it means for you.

Berlin: fastest ever, at 35

Guye Adola made his marathon debut in Berlin in 2017 with 2:03:46, at the time the fastest debut in history. For nine years that stayed his best. On Sunday 27 September, aged 35, he took almost a minute off it: 2:02:50. It was his second win at the Brandenburg Gate, after 2021.

The race followed the script. A pack of eight went through halfway in 1:01:01, three Ethiopians broke clear just before 30 km, and Adola made his move a little under ten kilometres out. Gemechu Diriba was second in 2:03:19, Tanzania's Gabriel Geay third in 2:03:59. Dutch and Belgian readers will know the name: Adola also won Rotterdam in April.

I was confident because I had trained well.

Guye Adola, Berlin 2026 winner

The notable absentee was world record holder Sabastian Sawe. He became the first man to officially break two hours in London in April (1:59:30), but withdrew from Berlin with an injury.

Assefa: a record, then pain

In the women's race Tigst Assefa ran on world record pace from the gun. She reached halfway in 1:04:57, and with five kilometres to go the projection read 2:09:36, faster than the world record of 2:09:56. Around 40 km her stride became uneven and she began to limp visibly.

She still made it home in 2:11:04: a course record and the third-fastest time ever run by a woman. It was her third Berlin win, each one with a course record, something nobody had done before. Her manager told the AFP news agency that her Achilles tendon had torn in those final kilometres. She has had surgery in Munich and is expected to be out for around seven months.

What an elite athlete does in a world record race is no model for your Sunday long run: pain that gets sharper as you go is our cue to stop, and anything that lingers is one for the physio.

The best statistic of the weekend

Ahead of the race, the organisers put the spotlight on Wilfried Köhnke (78). Berlin was held for the 52nd time this year, and Köhnke was set for his fiftieth start. He broke the record of 36 appearances back in 2012, and ran his hundredth marathon in Australia in 2022.

Why this matters to you: Adola and Köhnke tell the same story from opposite ends. Your best years are not necessarily behind you, and if you keep running, you write your own statistics.

Also in the news

UTMB cuts age-group places for Chamonix

UTMB announced last week that direct age-group places for the Finals in Chamonix will fall sharply, from 210 to 60. From 2027, only the top ten men and top ten women per distance (50K, 100K and 176K) at the four World Series Majors will qualify directly. Running Stones, your tickets for the lottery, stay as they are. After a wave of criticism, UTMB has promised a new age-group rule for the whole circuit soon. Only Ultra-Trail Australia will wait until 2028 to apply the change.

Why this matters to you: it was precisely runners over 45 who placed high in their age group that used this route to Chamonix. If you have plans for 2027, wait for the new rule before booking an expensive race abroad.

Age Group World Championships: the window closes on 30 September

The World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championships will be held within the Tokyo Marathon on 7 March 2027. They are open to runners aged 40 and over, in categories from 40-44 up to 80+. The qualifying window runs until 30 September 2026. Your results must appear in your AbbottWMM profile by 13 October (23:59 GMT), and invitations go out from mid-October. The rankings route has 1,050 places, with a further 200 through the Global Marathon route.

Why this matters to you: this is a world title where you only race people your own age. Ran a strong marathon in the past year? Check before 13 October that it shows in your profile. Details are on the World Marathon Majors site.

Berlin 2027: the lottery opens on 1 October

Watched on Sunday and fancy a go yourself? According to the organisers, the lottery for 2027 opens on Thursday 1 October. Like most Majors, Berlin allocates entries by lottery, and fast runners with a qualifying time go into it too.

Why this matters to you: Berlin is flat, fast and easy to reach from the Netherlands and Belgium, even by train. For a first Major or a serious crack at a personal best, it is hard to beat.

London 2027: two days, 100,000 runners

A record 1,338,544 people entered the ballot for London 2027, up 18 per cent on last year. The organisers' answer is a one-off "Double": on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027, a total of 100,000 people will run the same course from Greenwich to Westminster. Elite women, championship and Good for Age women will lead one day, the men the other.

Why this matters to you: watch the clock. On Saturday the finish closes at 17:30, giving you a maximum of 7 hours 45 minutes. That is plenty for most runners and walkers, but worth knowing before you pay for a Saturday place.

Cape Town becomes the eighth Major

The Cape Town Marathon is officially the eighth World Marathon Major and the first in Africa. Its first edition as a Major is on 23 May 2027. Shanghai faces its second evaluation on 6 December 2026; if it passes, a ninth will follow. The familiar Six Star medal for the original six remains.

Why this matters to you: if you are collecting stars, the list gets longer and the travel further. The good news: your Six Star is still within reach and still counts.

The autumn: three big dates

The coming weeks bring three marathons with a Dutch or Belgian angle.

Why this matters to you: Abdi and Nageeye are both 37 and still racing for the win. If you are running Amsterdam yourself, use the final weeks to freshen up rather than squeeze in extra kilometres.

Coming up

• Thu 1 October: the Berlin 2027 lottery opens. At 12:00, entries also open for the Leiden Marathon (8 and 9 May 2027).
• Fri 2 to Sun 4 October: Kustmarathon Zeeland, with the marathon on Saturday and the walking marathon on Sunday.
• Sun 4 October: TREK Singelloop Utrecht (5 and 10 km) and the Generali Köln Marathon.
• Sat 10 and Sun 11 October: ASML Marathon Eindhoven. Chicago on the Sunday too.

Until next week. Keep moving.