Ethiopian runner loses Hamburg Marathon after falling metres from the win

The 2023 Hamburg Marathon saw a dramatic finish on Sunday, as Ethiopia’s Tiruye Mesfin was overtaken by Kenyan Dorcas Tuitoek after falling in the closing hundred metres of the race. Mesfin led for most of the race, at one point by more than a minute, but as she hit the 42 km mark, her legs gave out and she hit the pavement. Tuitoek, who had been gaining on Mesfin in the latter kilometres of the race, took advantage of the stumble and made the pass for the win. 

Ahh! A dramatic and heartbreaking finish to the Hamburg Marathon. Long-time leader Tiruye Mesfin succumbed to cramp right on the 42km mark.

She got up and continued but was closed down by Dorcas Tuitoek who won in 2:20:09 to Mesfin’s 2:20:18. pic.twitter.com/opjRUWKOoV

— Steven Mills (@srmills90) April 23, 2023

Mesfin entered the Hamburg Marathon with the goal of breaking the course record of 2:17:23, set by her fellow Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw in 2022. With a marathon personal best of 2:18:47 (a time she ran in December at the Valencia Marathon), Mesfin would need to see quite a phenomenal run on Sunday to come close to Yehualaw’s time, and she broke away from the rest of the field early in pursuit of that result. 

“I knew that I could probably run a 2:20 time. This course is really fast and good for records.” Mesfin may have held on for the win if not for her fall right at 42 km, but it may not have mattered. Tuitoek was flying at that point, and Mesfin was clearly hurting. Tuitoek carried on to take the win in 2:20:09, beating her previous best by nearly five minutes minutes (she ran 2:24:54 in Valencia in 2021). Mesfin managed to get up after her fall and hold on for second place, crossing the line just ahead of Chesang in 2:20:18. Chesang rounded out the podium in 2:20:23. 

#hamburgmarathon ..there is a dramatic finish in the women's race. Tiruye Mesfin tumbled and fell to the floor in the last few hundred meters. Dorcas Tuitoek (KEN) took the opportunity and ran past her to win the race in 02:20:09 (unofficial)

— Marathon Hamburg (@Marathon_HH) April 23, 2023

“I was really surprised to win,” Tuitoek said after the race, as reported by race organizers. “I did not see when Tiruye Mesfin fell, I was just fully focused on myself. I still had enough energy. I knew that I could probably run a 2:20 time. This course is really fast and good for records.” 

Kenya’s Bernard Koech won the men’s race in Hamburg in 2:04:09, besting his compatriots Joshua Belet (second in 2:04:33) and Martin Kosgei (third in 2:06:18). Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento, who famously led the 2022 New York City Marathon for 30 km before collapsing on the course, finished fourth in Hamburg on Sunday, in 2:07:06.

For full results from the 2023 Hamburg Marathon, click here.