Meskerem Mamo won the women’s EDP Lisbon Marathon

The EDP Lisbon Marathon, renowned for its breathtaking coastal course stretching from Cascais along the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus River to the heart of Lisbon, delivered one of its most thrilling editions on October 10. In the women’s elite division, spectators were treated to a masterclass in distance running—a race defined not by a solitary breakaway, but by a tactical, agonizingly close battle that culminated in an exhilarating sprint finish.

Ultimately, it was Ethiopia’s Meskerem Mamo who captured the prestigious crown, crossing the finish line in a spectacular 2:28:04 hours. In a sport where marathon margins can often stretch across minutes, Mamo’s victory was carved out of pure grit, as she narrowly edged out an elite pack that refused to break until the final meters.

From the starting gun in Cascais, the tone for the women’s race was established. The elite pacers guided a dense leading pack through the early kilometers at a steady, calculated tempo. Rather than risking early burnouts on the flat but potentially windy coastal roads, the top contenders chose to bide their time, locked in a psychological game of chess.

As the race progressed along the scenic Estrada Marginal, passing historic landmarks under a clear Lisbon sky, the pack began to thin. By the time the runners reached the 30-kilometer mark, the race had transformed into a thrilling all-Ethiopian showdown. Five women broke away from the rest of the field, moving in a tight, rhythmic formation that kept the tracking vehicles and commentators on high alert. No one was willing to give an inch, and every attempt to push the pace was immediately covered by the surrounding jerseys.

The true drama unfolded in the final three kilometers as the course approached the iconic Praça do Comércio. With the finish line in sight, the slow-burning tension exploded into an all-out sprint. Marathons rarely mirror the frantic finishes of middle-distance track events, but the 2026 EDP Lisbon Marathon proved to be a spectacular exception.
Meskerem Mamo unleashed a decisive, punishing surge in the final kilometer. Digging deep into her reserves, Mamo found an extra gear on the cobblestone-adjacent stretches of downtown Lisbon. She crossed the finish line in 2:28:04, collapsing in a mixture of exhaustion and jubilation.

Just seven seconds behind her, Tejitu Siyum secured a magnificent second-place finish, clocking in at 2:28:11 hours. Siyum pushed Mamo to her absolute limit, matching her stride-for-stride until the final few hundred meters. The podium was completed mere moments later by Bashanke Bilo, who claimed third place with an equally impressive time of 2:28:15 hours. The a mere eleven-second gap separating the top three athletes stands as a testament to the historically competitive depth of this year’s field.

The blistering pace of the final sprint left no room for error, forcing top-tier athletes to settle for minor placements despite running world-class times. Sintayehu Tilahun finished in a heartbreaking fourth place, recording a time of 2:28:19 hours. Tilahun was remarkably only fifteen seconds away from the winner’s crown and just four seconds off a podium spot, illustrating just how unforgiving the final stretch in Lisbon was.

Rounding out the elite top five was the experienced Abebech Afework, who completed the demanding course in 2:29:00 hours. Afework kept pace with the lead group for the majority of the morning but fell off the scorching tempo during the final acceleration. Nevertheless, her sub-2:29 performance solidified an unprecedented top-five sweep for Ethiopian distance running in the Portuguese capital.

The results of the women’s race will be remembered as some of the most competitive in the event’s history. The EDP Lisbon Marathon continues to solidify its reputation not just as one of the most visually stunning marathons in the world, but as a lightning-fast course capable of hosting world-class strategic duels.

For Meskerem Mamo, this victory marks a defining milestone in her marathon career, proving her elite capability to handle high-pressure, tactical finishes against a deep field. As the dust settles on the sunny streets of Lisbon, the athletic world looks back at October 10 as a day when women’s distance running reached thrilling new heights on the coast of Portugal.