As the countdown continues for the Türkiye İş Bankası 48th Istanbul Marathon, which will be organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) Youth and Sports Services Department and IBB Sports Istanbul on Sunday, November 1, the elite athlete squad that will compete in the race has been announced. While the last women's champion, Bizuager Aderra, will return to the city to defend her title, the men's champion of 2024, Dejene Debela, will start in the world's only intercontinental marathon with the aim of being at the top again.
Türkiye İş Bankası Istanbul Marathon, which is in the "Gold Label" road races category of the World Athletics Association (World Athletics), will host world-class stars this year as well. When all categories are included in the race, which will be run for the 48th time, approximately 45 thousand people are expected to take to the track. A total of 47 elite athletes, 28 men and 19 women, 6 of whom are pacers, will participate in the marathon.
BIG DUEL FOR WOMEN
Last year, young Ethiopian Bizuager Aderra, who competed in the women's race, the last kilometer of which witnessed a breathtaking struggle between four athletes, improved her time by more than two minutes, breaking her personal record with 2:26:19 and achieving the biggest victory of her career. The 23-year-old athlete, who finished first in the Shenyang Marathon in China with 2:30:21 last September, will take to the course to defend her throne.
The biggest obstacle facing Aderra will be Judith Korir, the number one favorite on the start list. The Kenyan athlete, who won the silver medal in the marathon race at the 2022 World Championships, raises the bar quite high in the women's category with her impressive personal record of 2:18:20 in that race and the time of 2:18:43 she ran in London the same year. The 30-year-old experienced name showed that he maintained his form by running 2:26:48 in Milan in April this year.
The other two names aiming for the podium in women are Ethiopian Kasaneh Baze, who improved her career records this year (third in Hamburg with 2:19:39) and Kenyan Veronicah Maina (Wuhan champion, 2:24:14), who completed the 2023 Istanbul Marathon in second place and gained track experience. Maina proved that he would come to Istanbul in top form by finishing first in the Bali Marathon in his last race.
DEBELA WANTS TO TAKE BACK THE MEN'S CROWN
In the men's category, all eyes will be on Dejene Debela, who will run in Istanbul for the third time in a row. The 31-year-old Ethiopian, who crossed the finish line first in Sultanahmet with his performance of 2:11:40 in 2024, achieved the biggest victory of his career in Istanbul. Debela, who competed for the championship with Rhonzas Kilimo until the last kilometer last year and finished second in the race, aims to take back her first place title in the Türkiye İş Bankası 48th Istanbul Marathon, which is the first marathon she will run this season.
One of the biggest obstacles to Debela achieving this goal will be his citizen Amdework Walelegn. The Ethiopian, who has the second best personal time on the men's elite athlete list, is a name familiar with Istanbul, just like Debela. Walelegn, who participated in his first race here in 2018, won the Istanbul Half Marathon and achieved the first half marathon victory of his career. The 27-year-old athlete, who ran two more half marathons in Istanbul after this race, will sweat in his first marathon here with the Türkiye İş Bankası 48th Istanbul Marathon.
23-year-old Sufaro Woliyi, who holds the title of the fastest name on the start list, draws attention as the secret favorite of the race. The young Ethiopian, who finished third in Istanbul last year, 14 seconds behind the champion Kilimo, improved his best time by nearly 3 minutes by running 2:04:35 in Seoul this spring. Woliyi, who has not yet won a marathon championship, will run to achieve the first victory of his career in Istanbul on November 1.
TURKISH CHAMPIONS WILL ALSO BE ANNOUNCED
Local athletes will also run with the aim of national championship in the Türkiye İş Bankası 48th Istanbul Marathon, which is accepted as the Şevki Koru Turkey Marathon Championship by the Turkish Athletics Federation (TAF).
Hüseyin Can, last year's local champion and Turkish champion in the men's category, will work hard for the same goal this year as well. The 27-year-old athlete, who finished fifth in the general classification with a time of 2:10:58 last year, achieved the best time of his career by running 2:10:03 in the Seville Marathon, the only race he participated in this year, and proved that he will be one of the most assertive names in Istanbul. Can's biggest rivals on the way to the national championship will be Halil Yaşın and Yavuz Ağralı, with whom he shared the podium last year.
For women, Hasibe Demir and Dilan Atak Kuluk, who completed the Izmir Half Marathon in September in the first two places, will carry their championship fight to Istanbul this time, while Tuğçe Özkan and Sultan Haydar will work hard to become the fastest local female athlete.
