Valencia champion Sebastian Sawe set for World Marathon Majors debut in April

World half-marathon champion Sebastian Kimaru Sawe will line up for his second marathon in April, taking on a field that includes Olympic champion Tamirat Tola at the London Marathon. 

Scheduled for Sunday 27 April, this will be Sawe's debut in the World Marathon Majors, an opportunity that comes barely months after making his debut in the classic distance in Valencia on Sunday 1 December. 

The 28-year-old's winning time of 2:02:05 was just 12 seconds off the fastest-ever debut set by his compatriot, the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2022, and a mark that moved him to fifth on the world all-time list. 

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He carried a blistering 58:05 personal best in the half marathon, a time he set in Copenhagen in September 2024, to his debut marathon and his performance in Valencia has given him confidence ahead of London. 

"It is a deep field from what I have seen but that is just part of the sport. Despite it being my first Majors race I am calm and preparing as I would any other race.

I haven't changed a lot in my training as the courses are not that different, but London attracts some of the best runners in the world and I have to prepare mentally for that," Sawe told Mozzart Sport. 

While Valencia is known for its flat and fast course it is considered one of the world's fastest marathons, London is a point-to-point course with some rolling hills. 

Sawe is hoping to carry his form from Valencia where he finished 33 seconds ahead of the next best finisher Deresa Geleta of Ethiopia, with compatriot Daniel Mateiko rounding out the podium in 2:04:24, defeating a field that had the likes of course record-holder Sisay Lemma and three-time Olympic gold medallist Kenenisa Bekele. 

"Winning in Valencia against such a field gave me confidence and I hope to carry that same attitude to London," Sawe offered, adding,

"With such a stacked field, the time is likely to be quick so in the next few months I will put in the work, focusing more on myself rather than the competition I would be up against."

He is, however, not oblivious to the fact that the Olympic champion, who also has a title from the New York City Marathon victory from 2023, Tola is on the field.

After four visits to London, his best result was third, in 2023, but his exploits in the Paris Games where he came in as a late entrant for the injured Lemma make him a favourite this year. 

"It will be an interesting race, going up against him (Tola) but one cannot prepare with a specific competitor in mind. I will be running my race," he affirmed.