On March 15, 2026, 28-year-old Ethiopian athlete Fotyen Tesfay announced herself as the most impressive "rookie" in marathon history. She ran 2:10:53 in her marathon debut at the 2026 Barcelona Marathon, averaging a pace of 3:06/km — the second-fastest women's marathon time in history. Apart from the already-suspended Chepngetich, she is the only woman to have run 2:10; world-class rivals such as Assefa and Hassan finished behind her. This debut was more than five minutes faster than the previous women's marathon-debut record held by Tigist Ketema (2:16:07). In the race, Fotyen Tesfay delivered startling paces, with her fastest 5 km split at 15:08. Tesfay shook the marathon world in Barcelona, but her half-marathon form is also extremely strong — her 1:03:21 at the 2024 Valencia Half Marathon is currently the third-fastest women's time ratified by World Athletics. Who does such an astonishing debut remind you of? Could she be the women's version of Kiptum? Where will her next race be? #marathon#women's marathon#trail running boom#debut