Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa has her sights set on breaking her own women’s marathon world record and running under two hours and 10 minutes. Despite this ambitious goal, she emphasizes that her main focus for the upcoming London marathon is to win. Assefa achieved her current world record of 2:11:53 in Berlin last September, surpassing the previous mark set by Brigid Kosgei.

Feeling encouraged and confident after her record-breaking performance, Assefa is determined to continue improving and achieving greater accomplishments in the sport. While she aims to lower her world record in the future, she is keeping her competitive focus on winning in London. With the Olympic marathon in Paris coming up in a few months, Assefa acknowledges the importance of conserving her energy for the upcoming races.

Assefa’s training regimen includes running between 110 and 124 miles per week, as well as four gym sessions to maintain her fitness and endurance. She attributes her success to her disciplined approach to training and hard work. Assefa will be wearing Adidas’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 super shoe, the same shoe she wore when breaking the world record in Berlin. Despite the controversies surrounding the shoe’s technology and high price tag, Assefa appreciates the lightweight design that gives her an added advantage during races.