Berlin
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday with a commanding performance, though unseasonable heat denied him a new course record. Sawe, 29, finished in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 16 seconds, the fastest time this year. He was four minutes ahead of Japan’s Akira Akasaki and more than four and a half minutes clear of Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele.
“I did my best. I’m so happy,” Sawe said after the race. His compatriot Rosemary Wanjiru triumphed in the women’s category, finishing in 2:21:05, just ahead of Ethiopia’s Dera Dida.
Sawe had aimed to break Eliud Kipchoge’s Berlin course record of 2:01:09 set in 2022. However, temperatures rose to 24 degrees Celsius, slowing his pace. The current world record remains Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 set in Chicago in 2023. Sawe vowed to return next year for another attempt.
The race began at a blistering pace, with Sawe covering the first kilometer in just 2:44. By the halfway mark, reached in 1:00:16, he had already shaken off most rivals and pacemakers. For the final 19 kilometers, Sawe ran alone, cheered by large crowds, but the rising heat prevented a record-breaking finish.
Organizers had stepped up security, deploying more than 800 police officers and stewards on bicycles to safeguard the event. This followed recent disruptions in other sports, including protests at the Spanish Vuelta cycling race. The Berlin Marathon itself has previously faced demonstrations over sponsorship links with carmaker BMW.
Around 55,000 runners participated in this year’s event, making it one of the world’s largest marathons.
