Vitalis Kibiwott Smashes Turkish Allcomers’ Record at Mersin Marathon

Posted by: Watch Athletics

Sunday, 14 December 2025

Vitalis Kibiwott produced a sensational performance to smash the Turkish Allcomers’ record as he claimed a surprise victory at the Mersin Marathon. The 27-year-old Kenyan stormed to a massive personal best of 2:07:14, slicing almost a full minute off both the national allcomers’ mark and the course record.

In contrast, the women’s race unfolded more in line with expectations as pre-race favourite Rebecca Tanui of Kenya delivered a commanding win in 2:25:35 under excellent racing conditions. The Mersin Marathon holds World Athletics Elite Label Road Race status.

Although Mersin is a major port city of just over one million people on Türkiye’s southeastern Mediterranean coast, the marathon is still building its international reputation. Just over 400 marathon runners lined up for the seventh edition on Sunday morning, while around 2,000 athletes competed in the non-elite 10km race. Recent editions, however, had already hinted at the event’s potential, with the flat, fast course proving ideal for high-quality performances.

The headline name on the men’s start list was Ghirmay Gebreslassie, the 2015 world champion from Eritrea. However, the 30-year-old was forced to abandon the race with a hamstring issue at 18km. Attention then shifted unexpectedly to his 18-year-old brother Abraham Embaye, who boldly took control and passed halfway in 63:52.

The teenager held the lead deep into the race, but the pace proved unforgiving in the closing kilometres. With just over five kilometres remaining, Kibiwott surged past Embaye, followed shortly after by fellow Kenyan Albert Kangogo. Embaye showed remarkable resilience to secure third place in 2:08:29, while Kibiwott powered home to set the new Turkish Allcomers’ record in 2:07:14.

Last year’s winner, Kenyan Bethwell Kipkemboi, had triumphed in 2:08:13, underlining just how significant Kibiwott’s breakthrough was. Arriving in Türkiye with a personal best of 2:11:08, Kibiwott had been ranked only 11th on the start list, yet he shattered expectations with a nearly four-minute improvement.

“My training was very good, so I was expecting to run sub-2:08 and I fulfilled my expectations,” said Kibiwott. “The young Eritrean was ahead by quite a distance, but I closed the gap gradually. I didn’t hurry — I felt strong at the end and made my move. The Mersin Marathon has a completely flat and very fast course.”

In the women’s race, Rebecca Tanui took control from the early stages. She passed halfway in 72:30, closely shadowed by Ethiopia’s Genet Robi. The Ethiopian stayed in contention until around 30km, when Tanui began to pull away decisively.

Tanui crossed the line in 2:25:35, the fastest marathon time run in Türkiye this year, even though the course record of 2:23:08 remained out of reach. For the 33-year-old Kenyan, it marked another strong performance at the classic distance following her Kosice Marathon victory in 2:21:08 last year and a runner-up finish at the Vienna City Marathon earlier this spring.

Men Leading Results:

1. Vitalis Kibiwott - KEN - 2:07:14

2. Albert Kangogo -KEN -2:07:26

3. Abraham Embaye -ERI -2:08:29

4. Samuel Naibei - KEN -2:08:59

5. Abebaw Desalew -ETH -2:09:14

6. Isaac Kibet -UGA - 2:10:19

Women Leading Results:

1. Rebecca Tanui -KEN -2:25:35

2. Genet Robi -ETH -2:26:07

3. Peninah Jerop -KEN -2:30:52

4. Millicent Kibet -KEN -2:31:05