Kenyan athlete Ezra Kipketer Tanui emerged as the winner of the 2025 men’s Ooredoo Doha Marathon held at the Doha Corniche in Qatar on Friday, January 18.
Ethiopia’s Ethlemahu Sintayehu, on the other hand, won the women’s elite title at the Doha Marathon.
Tanui, running in only his second marathon ever, completed the men’s race in 2:07:28. He was eight seconds ahead of Ethiopians Balew Yihunle (2:07:36) and Mitku Tafa (2:07:40) who finished second and third respectively.
The prize pool for this year’s marathon exceeded a whopping QAR 1 million (approximately Ksh35,572,733), alongside two Toyota cars that were raffled to decide the winner.
All participants who completed the race were eligible to enter the raffle.
Tanui wasn’t going to give up victory easily and broke away from his opponent in the last couple of Kilometers.
Kipketer Tanui speaks after winning Doha marathon
After triumphing in a pulsating battle on Doha’s Corniche, the 27-year-old crossed the tape with both arms in the air, in what was just his second-ever marathon.
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Speaking following the win, Tanui said he was thrilled having finished fourth in last year’s race.
“I’m taking the Doha title for the first time, so I’m feeling really happy. Last year, I’d finished fourth in the race, so this is a very happy occasion for me. The course was quite good, and I knew about it from my last year’s participation,” he said.
“Thank you, my coach and my training, I was feeling good throughout the race. I’d like to thank my team for preparing me for this challenge. I was focusing on my race and my attention never wavered. It was a tough fight, but I came out on top.”
The Embassy of Kenya, Doha in a statement on Friday also celebrated Tanui for his win.
“Congratulations to Kenya’s Ezra Kipketer Tanui on winning the 2025 Ooredoo Doha Marathon on 17/1/2025. Mr. Kipketer clocked 2:07:28, warding off strong competition to finish first in the marathon held in Qatar’s capital, Doha,” the statement read.
Ethiopia shines in women’s race
In the elite women’s race, Ethiopia’s Sintayehu clocked 2:21:43 and beat compatriot Muluhabt Tsega by 38 seconds.
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Sintayehu, who placed sixth in the 3000m steeplechase at the 2018 World U20 Championships in Tampere, timed her race to perfection in the Qatari capital.
The 23-year-old showed immense patience when deciding to make a move away from the leading pack in the latter stages.
She also smashed her personal best of 2:25:36 – set in Abu Dhabi two years ago – over 26.2 miles.
This was just the third edition of the Doha Marathon that hosted elite athletes, with the mass participation events going back to 2014.
Around 15,000 people took part in the 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon in the Qatari capital this year, up from 2,000 in 2023.
Runners were treated to live music and other activities at Al Dafna Park, located just a short walk away from Doha’s Corniche.
The previous day, around 1,000 children got the opportunity to race over a slimmed down 1km circuit around the park.
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