As the Mumbai Marathon celebrates its twenty-first year, a competitive field of eight men and six women with impressive personal bests will compete on Sunday. The current event records, set in 2023, are held by Ethiopians Hayle Lemi Berhanu (2:07:32) and Anchialem Haymanot (2:24:15).
The Mumbai Marathon, recognized as a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race, offers significant prizes totaling USD 390,238. The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s categories stand to earn USD 50,000, USD 25,000, and USD 15,000, with an additional USD 15,000 bonus for breaking event records.
Among the men’s line-up for 2026 is Merhawi Kesete from Eritrea, a strong contender aiming for the title after finishing as the runner-up last year. Notable competitors include Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat, South Africa’s Stephen Mokoka, and Ethiopians Bazezew Asmare and Tadu Abate Deme.
The women’s field features runners like Zinah Senbeta, Yeshi Chekole, and Shure Demise, with impressive times near 2:21 and 2:20. Senbeta, who won in Lyubliyana in 2023 with a time of 2:21:05, had her marathon debut in Mumbai four years earlier, finishing seventh.
