Sabastian Sawe won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in a world-leading 2:02:16 on 21 September, mastering temperatures that climbed to 25 Celsius through the final kilometres. It was his third marathon victory, and his third consecutive time under 2:03.
A solo battle from the half
The race began at 9:15 a.m. under mid-70s sun, already poor for any world-record attack. Sawe passed 10 kilometres in 28:26 and had shed every rival by the 13th kilometre — defending champion Milkesa Mengesha, the last to hold on, dropped out before 30k.
Five pacers led him through halfway in 60:16, inside course-record pace. But by 25 kilometres they were gone, and Sawe ran almost twenty kilometres alone — each successive 5k split slowing, yet never cracking.
Three marathons, three sub-2:03 wins
Sawe crossed the line nearly four minutes clear of Japan’s Akira Akasaki, who finished in 2:06:15. The time ranks ninth on the all-time list and, given the heat, was widely called an unofficial warm-weather world record.
He made his debut at Valencia in December 2024 with a 2:02:05, the fastest marathon of that year. A London victory in 2:02:27 followed in April 2025. Only the late Kelvin Kiptum had a stronger opening trilogy over the distance.
Before the race, Sawe addressed the scepticism he faced. “I am tired of reading what people write in the press and on social media,” he told reporters. “There is always doubt or an accusation when the athlete is a Kenyan.”
He returned to Kenya half a year later to a hero’s welcome, having already done the sport one better. In April 2026 he broke two hours at London — but Berlin was the afternoon he proved he could win entirely on his own.
