Kenyan superstar Sabastian Sawe, has been confirmed as a contender to take the BMW Berlin Marathon crown on Sunday 21 September on the streets of the German capital.
30-year-old Sawe, who took victory in London in April in a time of 2:02:27 in just his second race over the 26.2-mile distance, is set to line up among some of the world’s best.
Defending champion Milkesa Mengesha will also return for the event this year, with Gabriel Geay also set to contend after winning in Daegu earlier this season.
On the women’s side, Rosemary Wanjiru returns to Germany – her maiden marathon race coming back in 2022 in Berlin – alongside Degitu Azimeraw and Mestawut Fikir.
Sawe eyes another win
Sawe has raced twice over the marathon distance, debuting in December 2024 in Valencia with a world-leading time of 2:02:05. He made it two wins from two in London in April, finishing just 22 seconds slower than his time in Spain.
He is no stranger to accolades – he become World Road Running and World Cross-Country Champion in 2023 – and will certainly be eyeing a run at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Sawe has also had success on the streets of Berlin having earned an impressive victory over the half marathon distance in 2023.
His main challengers are likely to be 2024 winner Mengesha and Tanzanian record holder Geay. Ethiopian Mengesha has a career best time of 2:03:17 – which he set in last year’s running of the event – and the 25-year-old is also a former IAAF World Cross-Country Champion.
Geay, meanwhile, boasts a 2:03:00 marathon time – set at the Valencia Marathon in 2022 – and finished second at the 2023 Boston Marathon behind Evans Chebet. He did, however, fail to finish the Olympic Marathon during the delayed Tokyo Olympics.
Wanjiru returns
30-year-old Wanjiru finished second in her debut marathon race back in 2022 in a time of 2:18:00 and solidified her resumé on the world stage with a victory in Tokyo in 2023 in a time of 2:16:28.
She’ll be challenged by 26-year-old Azimeraw, a two-time marathon winner and former London Marathon runner-up. She set a course record in Amsterdam in 2019 (2:19:26) before adding the Barcelona Marathon (2:19:52) to her list of titles in 2024.
