Strong women’s field in Hamburg

Tigist Ketema, Degitu Azimeraw and Sichala Kumeshi are on the start list of Germany’s biggest spring marathon race. A total of 20,000 marathon runners have entered the jubilee edition of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. Adding races at shorter distances staged parallel to the classic distance organisers registered a record total of 46,000 athletes.

Ethiopian women have produced the two fastest times ever in the history of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. In 2022 Yalemzerf Yehualaw smashed the course record with 2:17:23 and last year Workenesh Edesa came relatively close to that mark when she won the race with 2:17:55. Fellow-Ethiopians Ketema, Azimeraw and Kumeshi will be eager to add another major Ethiopian victory to the story of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg.

Tigist Ketema achieved a remarkable breakthrough two years ago. Running her debut at the Dubai Marathon in January 2024 she took the prestigious race with a world-class time and a course record of 2:16:07. This was an unofficial world debut record and Ketema became the eighth fastest marathon runner ever at that time. Later that year she went on to win the Berlin Marathon with 2:16:42. In 2025 she competed at the World Championships’ marathon in Tokyo. However the Ethiopian did not finish in hot and humid conditions. After a disappointing year the 27 year-old will be eager to bounce back in Hamburg.

Degitu Azimeraw has shown great consistency at a very high level during her marathon career. The 27 year-old won her debut marathon as well, clocking a sub 2:20 in Amsterdam in 2019 (2:19:26). Since then she achieved sub 2:20 times on three more occasions. Azimeraw ran her best race in London in 2021, when she was runner-up with a personal best of 2:17:58. After giving birth the 27 year-old Ethiopian returned to the marathon in 2024 and won in Barcelona with 2:19:52.

Sichala Kumeshi will have the advantage of knowing the course of the Haspa Marathon Hamburg. In 2023 she ran 2:26:53 here, but it was a year ago when the 30 year-old achieved a breakthrough in Hamburg. She was third last April and broke 2:20:00 for the first time in her career with 2:19:53. While this remains her PB at the marathon she has opened her 2026 campaign with a fine personal best at the half marathon. Kumeshi clocked 66:53 in Houston in January which will make her confident for her third race at the Haspa Marathon Hamburg on 26th April.