The former runner wins the women’s race, and Ezra Tanuy wins the men’s race in the capital of Qatar.
2025 Doha Marathon Lives Up To Expectations With Etlemahu Sintayehu And Ezra Kipketer Tanui Delivering Praise (Jan 17).
In the elite women’s race, Sintayehu clocked 2:21:43 to beat compatriot Muluhabt Tsega by 38 seconds.
Sintayehu, who was sixth in the 3000m at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, is now a marathon specialist and perfected his run in the Qatari capital.
The Ethiopian is only 23 years old but showed immense patience when he decided to drop away from the lead in the closing stages.
Etlemahu Sintayehu (Doha Marathon)
In the women’s field, all sixth Ethiopians stayed together, aided by three male pacers, for the first half of the race, crossing the 21.1km mark in 71:00.
However, the last few kilometers of the race were decisive and with the finish line on the horizon, Sintaehu put a gap between himself and the others.
As she ran down the red carpet ribbon, Sintaehu knew she had secured the win and held her arms up in celebration.
The Ethiopian also smashed his personal best of 2:25:36 set in Abu Dhabi two years ago over 26.2 miles.
In the elite men’s race, Kenya’s Ezra Kipketer Tanui clocked 2:07:28 to beat Ethiopia’s Balev Yihunle by just eight seconds.
Tanui, who finished fourth in the same event last year, was not going to give up the victory easily and broke away from her rival in the last two kilometers.
After winning the Doha Corniche, the 27-year-old crossed the tape with both hands in the air in what was only the second marathon in his history.
“I’m happy to win the Doha Marathon,” said Tanui, “I finished fourth last year, so I’m happy to win the race this year. Last year, the weather was cool, and the course was good.
“I felt good because of my training and I have to give a lot of credit to my coach and manager. Training helped me relax today and with the cooler climate it made a difference.”
The start of the Doha Marathon (Doha Marathon)
Shura Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon champion, was a prominent name at this year’s Doha Marathon, but he was only ninth in 2:08:38.
The Ethiopian, who also finished second in the New York City Marathon twice, clocked a personal best of 2:04:49 over the 26.2 miles.
The two course records, Mouhcine Outalha’s 2:06:49 and Meseret Belete’s 2:20:46 from 2023, stood for another year.
The conditions for long distance running were almost perfect. it was around 14C for the 6am start, so there is no doubt that the Doha Marathon will be faster in the future.
Runners in Al Dafna Park (Doha Marathon)
This was only the third edition of the Doha Marathon to host elite athletes, with mass participation events in 2014.
Around 15,000 people took part in the 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon in the Qatari capital this year, up from 2,000 in 2023.
Runners were treated to live music and other activities at Al Dafna Park, a short walk from Doha’s Corniche.
The day before, about 1,000 children had the opportunity to run a 1-kilometer lap around the park.
Full results of the Doha Marathon can be found here here
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