Uganda’s Abel Chelangat produced a strong late surge to win the men’s race at the Zurich Barcelona Marathon on Sunday, clocking 2:04:57 to secure victory in one of the weekend’s fastest marathon finishes.
Chelangat pulled away in the closing stages after a tight battle with Kenya’s Patrick Mosin. The pair had broken from the rest of the field earlier and reached the 40km mark together in 1:58:40, setting up a tense run to the finish in the streets of Barcelona.
He crossed the line first in 2:04:57, just four seconds ahead of Mosin, who finished second in 2:05:01. Kenya’s Jonathan Samanayo Korir completed the podium in 2:05:29.
Chelangat’s victory highlighted a strong performance in a race that also saw standout results in the women’s field. Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay delivered one of the fastest marathon debuts in history, winning the women’s race in 2:10:51 to move to second on the world all time list.
While Tesfay’s run grabbed global attention, Chelangat’s composed finish ensured Uganda had a major moment in Barcelona, claiming the men’s title after a patient and perfectly timed attack in the final kilometres.
Fotyen Tesfay sets the record for the Barcelona Marathon 2026: results, classifications, and all the rankings
The Zurich Marathon of Barcelona 2026 has left one of the most spectacular performances in the recent history of athletics. Here you can consult the results of the Barcelona Marathon 2026, the men’s and women’s classification, the course data, and the impact of the event on the global marathon ranking.
The Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay, who was debuting in the marathon distance, starred in one of the most impactful performances remembered at the Zurich Marathon of Barcelona 2026.
Tesfay crossed the finish line with an official time of 2 hours, 10 minutes and 53 seconds, lowering the previous record of the event by almost nine minutes.
The previous record belonged to the Kenyan Sharon Chelimo, who in the 2025 edition had won with 2:19:33.
The mark achieved by Tesfay not only represents a new record for Barcelona: it also makes her the second fastest woman in history to complete a marathon.
Barcelona dreamed for kilometers with the world record
During a good part of the race, Barcelona lived with the sensation that the women’s world record could fall.
The current world record belongs to the Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich, who achieved 2:09:56 in the Chicago Marathon 2024.
At kilometer 30, Tesfay was projecting a time capable of surpassing that record. In fact, she passed that point of the race with 1:32:00, which kept alive the dream of seeing the fastest women’s marathon in history.
However, the extremely high pace -always close to three minutes per kilometer- ended up taking its toll in the last kilometers.
Even so, the Ethiopian managed to resist until the finish line with a historic mark.
The women’s podium of the Barcelona Marathon 2026
The women’s podium of the Zurich Marathon of Barcelona was composed of:
- Fotyen Tesfay (Ethiopia)- 2:10:53
- Joan Jepkosgei (Kenya)- 2:18:42
- Zeneiba Yimer (Ethiopia)- 2:18:49
The three athletes lowered the previous mark of the circuit.
Abel Chelangat wins the men’s race
In the men’s category, the winner was the Ugandan Abel Chelangat, who won with a time of 2:04:57.
During a good part of the race the front group rode at a very high pace, which fueled the possibility that the circuit record could also fall.
The record was held by the Ethiopian Tesfaye Deriba, who in 2025 won with 2:04:13.
Finally, Chelangat launched the decisive attack in the last kilometers and crossed the finish line alone.
The men’s podium was as follows:
- Abel Chelangat (Uganda) – 2:04:57
- Patrick Kabirech (Kenya) – 2:05:01
- Â Jonathan Samanayo (Ecuador) – 2:05:29
Ricardo Rosado and Carolina Robles, champions of Spain of marathon
The Zurich Marathon of Barcelona also hosted the Spanish Marathon Championship.
In masculine category:
- The Madrid native Ricardo Rosado was proclaimed champion of Spain with a time of 2:13:31.
- Jos̩ Ignacio Gim̩nez Р2:14:18
- Cristian MartÃnez Alaez – 2:16:19
In the women’s category, the victory went to the Sevillian Carolina Robles, who completed the race in 2:24:58.
The national women’s podium was formed by:
- Carolina Robles – 2:24:58
- Carolina Torres – 2:32:30
- Â Fabia Lafuente – 2:36:43
The Barcelona Marathon consolidates itself among the greats of Europe
Beyond the elite, the Barcelona Marathon 2026 once again demonstrated its enormous convening power.
The race reached 32,000 bib numbers sold, greatly surpassing the 27,000 participants of the previous edition.
With that sustained growth, Barcelona is already consolidating itself as one of the five most popular marathons in Europe, in a race that continues to grow from the historical peak of 20,000 runners reached in 2016 and 2017.
