Sabastian Sawe threatened the men’s world record but in the end clocked 2:02:16 as he powered to a dominant solo victory at the Berlin Marathon.
And Rosemary Wanjiru made it a Kenyan double when she kicked clear of her rivals soon after the 25km point in the women’s race but then had to withstand a late challenge from Ethiopia’s Dera Dida, with just three seconds between them on the line.
Here’s how the two races played out…
Men’s race – World record pace for first half
All eyes were on Sawe and his pacemaking team who were on point for the first half of the race.
Only last year’s champion Milkesa Mengesha of Ethiopia was able to stick with him and Sawe was fractionally ahead of world record pace (the late Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from Chicago 2023) when he went through the halfway point in 60:16.
Remember too that his first two marathons had both featured negative splits en route to 2:02:05 when he won on his debut in Valencia last year and 2:02:27 as he followed up in London in April.
But soon after he was on his own and soaring temperatures – it was almost certainly the hottest Berlin Marathon on record in the mid-20s – massively added to the challenge.
Sawe still looked comfortable but alarm bells started to ring when his kilometre splits began to slow slightly from 25km onwards.
It soon became obvious that the world record was out of reach – and then Eliud Kipchoge’s course best too (2:01:09 from 2022).
But huge crowds roared him on through the closing stages and crossed the line in 2:02:16, nearly four minutes clear of Japan’s Akira Akasaki, with Chimdessa Debele of Ethiopia rounding out the podium in third.
Those margins showed the scale of 30-year-old Sawe’s performance and underlines his position as the world’s best male marathon runner with three huge wins out of three.
Women’s race – Thrilling finale
In contrast to Sawe’s solo final 20km the front of the women’s race was altogether at the 25km point.
Wanjiru was neck and neck with Ethiopian trio Dida, Azmera Gebru and Fantu Worku as the lead pack went through that mark in 1:22:06.
But in the next three kilometres was when Wanjiru eased clear and she looked to have the race in her safe keeping.
However Deda fought back brilliantly in the closing stages and had Wanjiru in her sights in the final kilometre.
But the line just came in time for Wanjiru who ended the Ethiopian domination in the women’s race in the last few years.
Again the heat mitigated against any records, with Wanjiru crossing the line in 2:21:05, just those three seconds to the good, with Gebru third in 2:21:29.
Berlin Marathon 2025 results
Sunday 21 September, 26.2 miles / 42.2 kilometres
MEN:
1. Sabastian Sawe (KEN) – 2:02:16
2. Akira Akasaki (JPN) – 2:06:15
3. Chimdessa Debele (ETH) – 2:06:57
WOMEN:
1. Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) – 2:21:05
2. Dera Dida (ETH) – 2:21:08
3. Azmera Gebru (ETH) – 2:21:29
