Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa plans to challenge the women's marathon world record in Berlin. She aims to beat Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56 mark set in 2024. Assefa set her previous record of 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023.

Assefa faces strong competition, including defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru. Wanjiru won last year's race in hot conditions but may perform better in cooler weather. Amane Beriso, the 2023 Budapest champion, also joins the field. Read more racing coverage.

Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele returns to Berlin, where he won in 2016 and 2019. At 44, he may target a masters world record. His 2019 Berlin time of 2:01:41 was just two seconds off the world record. Related: Agnes Ngetich sets new women-only half-marathon world record.

This original Runner World brief is based on reporting from Canadian Running. Visit the source for its complete reporting, context and any later corrections.