The Selemon Barega marathon career is still young: three races between February 2025 and September 2026, one win and a personal best of 2:04:58 from Berlin on 27 September 2026. For an Olympic 10,000m champion who once held the world No. 1 ranking at 5000m, that is a quick and steady adaptation to 42.195 km.
On this page we list each of those marathons with the official World Athletics time, set out his half marathon and 10 km results that show his road speed, and explain where he stands among marathoners as of 22 October 2026. His track titles are covered on the main Selemon Barega profile.
Every Selemon Barega marathon so far
| Date | Race | City | Place | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Feb 2025 | Zurich Maratón de Sevilla | Seville | 1st | 2:05:15 |
| 1 Mar 2026 | Tokyo Marathon | Tokyo | 7th | 2:05:00 |
| 27 Sep 2026 | BMW Berlin Marathon | Berlin | 5th | 2:04:58 |
Each race was a little faster than the one before: 17 seconds in total from Seville to Berlin. The progression is small but consistent, and the last two races were Majors.
Seville 2025: a winning debut
Selemon Barega’s first marathon was the Seville Marathon on 23 February 2025. He won it in 2:05:15, the time recorded by World Athletics. According to running media, he signed with the sportswear brand Li-Ning in the days before the race, after years with Nike.
Winning on debut is not a given even for great track runners, and for him it came just over six months after his last Olympic race, the Paris 10,000m on 2 August 2024. His Olympic story is told on the Selemon Barega olympics page. The rest of 2025 stayed on the roads and the track: a 10 km win in Manchester on 18 May (27:49), 6th place over 10,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo on 14 September and a half marathon win in Tokyo on 19 October 2025.
Selemon Barega Tokyo marathon 2026: 7th in 2:05:00
His second marathon was a step up in level. The Tokyo Marathon on 1 March 2026 is one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and he finished 7th in 2:05:00 – 15 seconds faster than in Seville, but this time outside the podium. It was his first marathon in a Major field.
Selemon Barega Berlin marathon 2026: a best of 2:04:58
Between the two marathons of 2026 he went back to a shorter distance and won the Great Manchester Run on 31 May 2026 in 27:37, a personal best for 10 km on the road. On 27 September 2026 he ran Berlin, another Major, and finished 5th in 2:04:58. The time is his personal best for the marathon as of 22 October 2026 and the first time he broke 2:05.
Road speed: half marathon and 10 km
Selemon Barega half marathon best: 57:50
His fastest half marathon came in Valencia on 22 October 2023, before he had run a single marathon: 57:50. It showed early that his speed carried over to the roads. On 19 October 2025 he won the Tokyo Legacy Half Marathon in 1:01:22.
Shorter road races
He has won the Great Manchester Run twice, in 27:49 on 18 May 2025 and in 27:37 on 31 May 2026. His 5 km road best is 13:14, from the Diamond League final in Zürich on 7 September 2022. In cross country he won the Elgoibar race in Spain on 8 January 2023.
What the times mean
As of 22 October 2026 Selemon Barega is No. 34 in the World Athletics men’s marathon ranking; his best position in that list so far is No. 27. In the 10,000m ranking he is still No. 4 on the same date, which says a lot about how recently he moved up.
His former training partner Yomif Kejelcha has made a similar move from the track to the roads, and a longer-established marathon career can be followed on the Tamirat Tola page.
Next marathon: nothing announced as of 22 October 2026
As of 22 October 2026 Selemon Barega’s next race has not been announced by any organiser or by the media. He is not in the fields published for the New York City Marathon (1 November 2026) or the Valencia Marathon (6 December 2026). Among the spring 2027 marathons, these are the ones to watch – none of them has named him in its field:
- Seville Marathon – 21 February 2027 (date reported by secondary sources).
- Tokyo Marathon – 7 March 2027 (confirmed).
- Boston Marathon – 19 April 2027 (reported).
- TCS London Marathon – 24–25 April 2027 (confirmed; the elite race day is not yet announced).
The calendar on our Ethiopian athletes hub is updated when new entries are confirmed.
Where to watch Selemon Barega marathon races in Ethiopia
The Majors he has run, Tokyo and Berlin, have different broadcasters. Berlin, London, Boston and New York were carried across sub-Saharan Africa by SuperSport on pay TV in 2025–2026. For Tokyo, the 2026 broadcaster list named CANAL+ Ethiopia, which has closed, so no Ethiopian channel is confirmed for Tokyo as of 22 October 2026. Seville has no confirmed broadcaster for Ethiopia in our sources.
Official rights holders only, checked 22 October 2026. Rights change by event and season – check the broadcaster’s schedule before a race. We do not link to unofficial streams.
Selemon Barega marathon FAQ
What is Selemon Barega’s marathon best?
2:04:58, run when finishing 5th at the Berlin Marathon on 27 September 2026 (as of 22 October 2026).
How did Selemon Barega do at the Berlin Marathon?
He finished 5th in 2:04:58 on 27 September 2026, a personal best.
How many marathons has Selemon Barega run?
Three as of 22 October 2026: Seville 2025 (1st), Tokyo 2026 (7th) and Berlin 2026 (5th).
What shoes does Selemon Barega wear?
According to running media, he has raced for Li-Ning since February 2025; before that he was sponsored by Nike.
Where did Selemon Barega make his marathon debut?
In Seville on 23 February 2025, where he won in 2:05:15.