Kenya's Sabastian Sawe, who recently became the first man to complete a marathon in under two hours in an official race, will defend his title at the Berlin Marathon in September. Sawe achieved his sub-two-hour feat at the London Marathon, finishing in one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, and aims to run “as well and as fast as I can” in Berlin.
Berlin Marathon's Reputation
The Berlin Marathon is renowned for its flat course, considered one of the world's fastest, where nine men's world records were set between 1998 and 2022. In 2025, Sawe won the Berlin Marathon with a time of two hours, two minutes, and 16 seconds, which was the world's best time of the year despite challenging temperatures.
Course Record Holder
His compatriot Eliud Kipchoge currently holds the Berlin Marathon course record, having set a previous world record of 2:01:09 in 2022.
