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Sebastian Sawe chasing third marathon title in Berlin
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 31.07.25. | 19:43
Sawe is also is the reigning World Half Marathon Champion and clinched double gold at the 2023 World Road Running and World Cross Country Championships,
Reigning London Marathon champion Sebastian Sawe is set to headline a formidable field at the 2025 Berlin Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, 29 September in Germany.
The Kenyan star, who has already established himself among the elites with two sub-2:03 marathon performances, returns to familiar territory in Berlin, a city where he has previously excelled. Sawe won the Generali Berlin Half Marathon in 2023 with a commanding 59:00 finish, leading a Kenyan sweep alongside Alex Kibet (59:11) and Bravin Kiprop (59:22).
Berlin will mark Sawe’s third career appearance over the full marathon distance. He made a statement in his debut at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, clocking 2:02:05 to register a world-leading time and the second-fastest marathon debut in history.
He followed it up with a sensational victory at the 2025 London Marathon in April, cutting his time to 2:02:27, good enough for a personal best and the tenth-fastest time ever recorded.
Sawe’s pedigree is not limited to the marathon. He is the reigning World Half Marathon Champion and clinched double gold at the 2023 World Road Running and World Cross Country Championships, firmly establishing himself as one of the most versatile distance runners of his generation.
With the world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, still looming large, all eyes will be on Sawe as a prime contender to rewrite history.
“We are delighted that Sebastian Sawe recognizes the BMW Berlin Marathon and its flat course. He has already impressed on Berlin’s roads when he won the Generali Berlin Half Marathon in 2023. The race will certainly be exciting,” said Race Director Mark Milde.
Sawe will have to fend off a loaded field, including defending champion Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia, who clocked 2:03:17 last year, and Tanzania’s national record holder Gabriel Geay, adding more depth to the elite men’s line-up.
On the women’s side, Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru leads the charge. The 2023 Tokyo Marathon winner returns to Berlin, where she debuted in 2022 with a 2:18:00 finish, narrowly behind Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa’s course record of 2:15:37. Wanjiru will face a tough field, including Degitu Azimeraw, the 2024 Barcelona Marathon champion, and compatriot Mestawut Fikir.
Azimeraw, a former London Marathon runner-up, also set a course record in Amsterdam in 2019 (2:19:26), solidifying her threat with another sub-2:20 win in Barcelona (2:19:52).
