The 47th edition of Turkiye’s major marathon will once again feature strong fields. The Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon is actually one of the oldest Gold Label marathons in the world. It has been at this level uninterruptedly since 2012. It is one of the very few races that has maintained this high status for such a long period.
Dejene Debela came back from injuries last year and achieved his biggest career win at the Türkiye with a 2:11:40. The 30-year-old features a strong personal best of 2:05:46 from Chicago in 2019. When the Ethiopian returns to the Bosphorus, the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon will be his biggest race of the year.
Two Kenyans will probably be among Debela’s strongest challengers. Rhonzas Kilimo has produced a strong marathon performance in each of the past two years. The 29-year-old was fifth in Hamburg in 2023 with 2:08:08. He then improved to 2:06:09 as the runner-up at the Seoul Marathon last year. With this PB, Kilimo is the second fastest on the Istanbul start list behind Debela. Denis Chirchir has shown fine marathon performances in 2023 and 2024 as well. The 35-year-old clocked his personal best of 2:07:17 when he took second place in Hannover two years ago. In 2024, he won the Kosice Marathon with 2:07:50. Chirchir trains in Iten and is coached by renowned Italian Renato Canova.
Jake Robertson is one of a few strong non-African entrants for the race on 2nd November. The New Zealander has a 2:08:26 PB but has struggled with injuries in recent years. Robertson has not yet competed in 2025.
Returning to Istanbul, Ruth Jebet is not only the defending champion but also the favourite. The Olympic champion and world record holder has competed for Bahrain since the age of 16. She achieved her biggest marathon victory so far in Istanbul last year. Targeting a sub-2:20:00 and then her 2:23:08 PB, neither materialized in 2024 because of the wind. But Ruth Jebet’s winning time of 2:24:45 was an extraordinary achievement, taking into account the conditions. She had distanced a strong field by almost nine minutes, the biggest winning margin since 2015 in Istanbul. Back then, of course, the international field was far less competitive.
After taking the runner-up spot in Daegu this year with 2:25:43, Jebet will be eager to finish 2025 on a high. However, the 28-year-old, who missed out on selection for the World Championships, will have no easy path to victory. Two athletes from Ethiopia have personal bests close to Jebet’s 2:23:08. Tigst Getnet ran 2:23:17 in her debut marathon in Dubai, where she was fifth in 2023. Sofia Assefa’s PB stands at 2:23:33 from Amsterdam two years ago. The latter knows Ruth Jebet well since she was runner-up in that Olympic steeplechase final back in 2016. While Assefa was second best on most occasions, they raced each other. The Ethiopian did manage to leave Jebet behind her three times on the track ten years ago. On 2nd November, it will be the first time Jebet and Assefa challenge each other in a road race.
With one month to go, organizers from Spor Istanbul registered a total of 42,000 entries for the event so far. This includes races at shorter distances. Around 6,000 of them will compete over the classic distance on Istanbul’s unique course. Starting on the Asian side of this big city, runners will cross into Europe on the Martyrs Bridge. They will later finish in Istanbul’s old historic centre next to the Blue Mosque. Entries will still be accepted until 14th October at: https://maraton.istanbul
“We are delighted to be organizing the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon, the world’s only intercontinental marathon, for the 47th time. Our Gold Label race will once again welcome great athletes. The participation of defending champions clearly demonstrates that the Istanbul Marathon is a prestigious and consistent event highly valued by elite runners. Istanbul will, as always, offer participants a truly exceptional marathon experience on an international level,” said Bilge Donuk, the new Race Director.
More information and online entry is available at: https://maraton.istanbul
