Sawe & Wanjiru Win The 2025 Berlin Marathon, As Sawe Threatens World Record Pace

Sabastian Sawe won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in an enthralling race that threatened to break many records, before the heat rose and times slowed. The Kenyan finished in 2:02:16 to confirm his place as one of the best marathon runners in the world.

The pace was thrilling from the beginning, maintaining the magic 2:51 per kilometre required for marathon world record pace and a finish under 2:00:35.

A T-formation of pacers led Sawe: three in front, one behind, followed by Sawe. They went through 5k in 14:09, 10k in 28.26 and reached halfway in 60.16, three seconds inside world record pace and right at Sawe’s goal time for the race.

There was a lot of excitement for the potential records: a world record, a course record, top three all-time, even a chance at a sub-two marathon.

As the pacers fell off, Sawe carried on alone from 24k. But without those pacers he slowed – kilometres at 2:58, 2:59, 2:54, 2:56 – as the heat rose in Berlin.

Sawe hit 30km in 1:26:06 as the projected finish time sneaked up along with the temperatures, reaching one of the hottest days ever recorded during the Berlin Marathon.

As he came into the final kilometres he was able to push his pace and finished in 2:02:16, the third-fastest time in Berlin. Commentators called it a ‘warm weather world record,’ making this a spectacular performance.

Sawe is arguably the best marathon runner in the world, and today he proved it yet again with the third marathon win of his career and his third 2:02 marathon. He clearly thinks he can run the world record, and even become the first person to run an official marathon in under two hours.

So where will he run next? Tokyo and London are both quick in the spring. Seville is fast, as is Rotterdam. Wherever he runs next, people will be expecting more greatness.

ROSEMARY WANJIRU WINS THE 2025 BERLIN MARATHON

Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru won the 2025 Berlin Marathon in a tight race, beating Ethiopia’s Dera Dida by just four seconds, with the first five women all within one minute of each other.

Wanjiru finished second in the 2022 Berlin Marathon and won the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. This is the second Marathon Major win of her career.

BERLIN MARATHON 2025 RESULTS

🥇 Sabastian Sawe 🇰🇪 2:02:16

🥈 Akira Akasaki 🇯🇵 2:06:15

🥉 Chimdessa Debele 🇪🇹 2:06:57

🥇 Rosemary Wanjiru 🇰🇪 2:21:04

🥈 Dera Dida 🇪🇹 2:21:08

🥉 Azmera Gebru 🇪🇹 2:21:28

FAQ ON THE BERLIN MARATHON

How do you enter the Berlin Marathon?

The main way to run the Berlin Marathon is to enter the lottery.

When is the next Berlin Marathon?

The 2026 Berlin Marathon takes place on Sunday 27 September 2026. The ballot lottery opens on 25 September to 6 November 2025.

Who will break the men’s marathon record?

The men’s marathon world record is 2:00:35 by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Some of the favourites to break that record are Sabatian Sawe, John Korir and Jacob Kiplimo.

Is Berlin the fastest marathon in the world?

Yes, the Berlin Marathon is one of the fastest marathons in the world. The second-fastest men’s and women’s marathons were both run in Berlin and it’s a race that lots of amateurs take on trying to run new personal best times.