Seville Marathon 2025: Manon Trapp stuns with French marathon record

A perfectly judged race

A year after her unsuccessful attempt in Rotterdam, where she fell short of the national record and Olympic qualification, Manon Trapp produced a brilliant response in Seville. Her strategy paid off: avoid the front pack, which went through at 2:21 pace, and build her race progressively. She reached halfway in 1:12:00 after a solid opening half, then accelerated over the second half (1:11:38), delivering a superb negative split.

The French runner’s splits reflected remarkable consistency and race management.

• 0–10 km: 34:02 (3:24/km)

• 10–20 km: 34:16 (3:25/km)

• Halfway: 1:12:00 (3:24/km)

• 20–30 km: 33:43 (3:22/km)

• 30–40 km: 34:12 (3:25/km)

• 40–42.195 km: 7:38 (3:28/km)

She was 10th at 30 km but held her pace as runners around her began to fade. By 35 km, she had moved up to fifth and continued her charge with relentless determination. A heroic, resilient finish saw her pass Kenya’s Cynthia Kosgei in the final kilometre and take second place. It was a world-class performance from the Entente Savoie Athlé athlete, putting her firmly in the spotlight at an international-level race. The Frenchwoman’s emotion at the finish matched the scale of her achievement.

French athletes deliver in Seville

Mélody Julien, the distance runner from Association Multisports Montredonnaise, also arrived with high ambitions. She spent a long time in the same group as Manon Trapp but could not maintain the pace beyond 25 km. She still finished an excellent eighth in 2:26:44, confirming her place among France’s elite.

In the men’s race, Félix Bour delivered an excellent performance to finish eighth in 2:07:03. He went through the early stages on 2:06 pace before a foot injury disrupted his race and prevented him from improving his personal best of 2:06:46. He still recorded a high-class time. Emmanuel Roudolff-Levisse was equally consistent, completing his marathon in 2:07:41 to take 11 seconds off his personal best. Duncan Perillat also deserves a mention after smashing his personal best to finish in 2:09:05.

Unfortunately, those performances still fell short of the French Athletics Federation’s selection standards for the World Championships in Tokyo this September: 2:05:18 for men and 2:21:13 for women. The FFA’s aim is to send athletes capable of challenging for a top-eight finish worldwide.

A promising marathon debut for Selemon Barega

The day’s other major storyline was Selemon Barega’s marathon debut. The Ethiopian, Olympic 10,000m champion in 2021, made a fast start, reaching halfway in 1:01:45 as part of a seven-man group. But the race changed soon after 23 km, when the pacemakers dropped out. Barega was suddenly alone at the front. Unused to running solo and racing the distance for the first time, he gradually lost pace before hitting the notorious marathon wall at 35 km. He had built enough of a cushion to secure the win, however, and completed his first marathon in 2:05:15. It was a challenging first outing over the marathon distance for the Ethiopian champion, but one packed with promise for the future.

© Zurich Maratón de Sevilla

Men’s podium
1. Selemon Barega (Ethiopia) – 2:05:15
2. Tafere Adisu (Ethiopia) – 2:06:27
3. Mohamed Reda El Aaraby (Morocco) – 2:06:45

His compatriot Anchinalu Dessie was also making her marathon debut. Part of a four-woman lead group, she reached halfway in 1:10:56 and was the only one able to maintain that pace through the final stages. It was a successful first marathon, bringing her victory and an outstanding time of 2:22:17.

Women’s podium
1. Anchinalu Dessie (Ethiopia) – 2:22:17
2. Manon Trapp (France) – 2:23:38
3. Cynthia Kosgei (Kenya) – 2:23:43

With ideal racing conditions, impressive depth and an ultra-fast course, the Seville Marathon once again lived up to its billing. Nearly 14,000 runners took part in the celebration, and for Manon Trapp, the 2025 edition will go down in history thanks to her French record and her surge towards the top of the road-racing world.