Venice Marathon 2026: Kwemoi breaks course record, Jerono wins women's race
By Rhea MalhotraDigital Life Writer, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: garten-gg / Pixabay
Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo won the 40th Venice Marathon on October 25, 2026, in a course record 2:07:31, while Kenya's Jackline Jerono took the women's race in 2:26:16.
What Happened
Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo won the 40th edition of the Venice Marathon in Italy on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in 2 hours 7 minutes 31 seconds, a new course record. His time took ten seconds off the previous record of 2:07:41, set by Solomon Mutai of Uganda in 2023. In the women's race, Jackline Jerono of Kenya won in 2:26:16, giving Kenya both titles. According to race reports, it was Kenya's 32nd win at the event.
Key Facts
- Race: 40th Venice Marathon, Sunday, October 25, 2026, Italy.
- Men's winner: Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo, 2:07:31, a course record.
- Old record: 2:07:41 by Uganda's Solomon Mutai, set in 2023.
- Men's podium: Berhanu Tarto Yatede of Ethiopia second in 2:07:47; Dikson Simba Nyakundi third in 2:07:56.
- Women's winner: Jackline Jerono of Kenya, 2:26:16; Alemaz Samuel of Ethiopia was second in 2:26:23.
- Race reports say Jerono's time was the third-fastest women's time in the event's history, and that she dropped her bottle at the last drinks station and stopped to pick it up.
Why It Matters
Venice is not one of the World Marathon Majors, the series that includes London, Berlin and New York, and its fields are smaller. That is part of what makes the result interesting. A course record at a mid-sized city marathon shows how deep the pool of fast East African runners now is: a winning time of 2:07:31 would once have been enough to contend at the biggest races in the world, and here it was set by a runner chasing a record on a course that ends among the canals of one of Europe's best-known cities.
The men's race was close at the front. Only 25 seconds separated the top three, and all three finished under 2:08. The women's race was even tighter at the line, with seven seconds between Jerono and Samuel. Jerono's brief stop for her bottle late in the race, as described in race reports, is a reminder that small things such as fuelling and drinks stations can decide a marathon that has run for more than two hours.
For young runners in India, where city marathons and half marathons have grown quickly and many first-time runners now sign up for 10 km and 21 km events, results like this are useful for scale rather than comparison. A 2:07 marathon means running each kilometre in about three minutes for 42.195 km. Most recreational runners aim to finish, or to improve their own time, and the lesson elite races offer them is about steady pacing and planning food and water, not about speed.
The result also adds to the busy late-October racing calendar in Europe, which this year also included the Frankfurt Marathon on the same day.
| Position | Men | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo | 2:07:31 (course record) |
| 2 | Berhanu Tarto Yatede (Ethiopia) | 2:07:47 |
| 3 | Dikson Simba Nyakundi | 2:07:56 |
Impact
Short-term: Kwemoi's course record and Kenya's double win add to his and Jerono's standing as they look for places in bigger races next season.
Long-term: Faster course records help mid-sized marathons like Venice attract stronger elite fields and more amateur entrants, which supports the event and its city.
Who is affected: Elite distance runners and their teams, race organisers in Venice, and amateur runners, including young Indians, who follow international races for pacing and training ideas.
Key Takeaway
Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo set a Venice Marathon course record of 2:07:31 on October 25, 2026, and Jackline Jerono won the women's race in 2:26:16, giving Kenya both titles at the event's 40th edition.
Questions and Answers
Who won the Venice Marathon 2026?
Peter Kwemoi Ndorobo won the men's race in 2:07:31, a course record, and Jackline Jerono of Kenya won the women's race in 2:26:16. The race was held on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
What was the old Venice Marathon course record?
The previous men's record was 2:07:41, set by Solomon Mutai of Uganda in 2023. Kwemoi's run was ten seconds faster.
How close was the 2026 Venice Marathon?
Very close. The top three men finished within 25 seconds of each other, all under 2:08, and in the women's race Jerono beat Alemaz Samuel of Ethiopia by seven seconds.
What pace does a 2:07 marathon need?
A marathon is 42.195 km, so a finish of 2:07:31 works out to about three minutes per kilometre for the whole distance, far quicker than most recreational runners, who usually focus on finishing or improving their own best time.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Rhea Malhotra, Digital Life WriterCovers Digital Life and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Rhea Malhotra
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Rhea Malhotra is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
