Köln sweep and a Twin Cities debut win: Kenyan-born winners on 4 October
Bernard Kiprop Koech and Jackline Chepngeno swept the Köln Marathon, and Victor Shitsama won in Minnesota on his marathon debut.
In short: On 4 October 2026, Kenyans Bernard Kiprop Koech (2:06:10) and Jackline Chepngeno (2:21:34) won the Köln Marathon, and Kenyan-born Victor Shitsama won the Twin Cities Marathon in 2:12:20 on his debut.
Kenyan runners won both titles at the Köln Marathon in Germany on Sunday 4 October. Bernard Kiprop Koech won the men's race in 2:06:10, 20 seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Habtamu Birlew. Jackline Chepngeno won the women's race in 2:21:34, almost three minutes clear of Ethiopia's Fantu Shugi. Times are as reported by World-Track; Pimeys will add the official result when the organiser publishes it.
A debut win in Minnesota
On the same day, Kenyan-born Victor Shitsama won the Twin Cities Marathon in the United States in 2:12:20, 16 seconds clear of Andrew Kaye. It was his first full marathon, KSTP reported.