Berlin Marathon: World record holder Sawe, at 1:59:30, defends his title on September 27

Kenyan Sabastian Sawe, the first man in history to run an official marathon in under two hours, will defend his title at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 27, 2026. According to World Athletics, this is his first race since his historic achievement.

The record of the century

On April 26, 2026, in London, Sawe completed the 42.195 km in 1:59:30, shaving 65 seconds off the record set by his compatriot, the late Kelvin Kiptum, in Chicago in 2023, according to World Athletics. That day, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha also ran under two hours (1:59:41), and Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo took third place in 2:00:28.

Sawe knows the terrain in Berlin: he won there in 2025 with a time of 2:02:16. The course record still belongs to Eliud Kipchoge, with 2:01:09 set in 2022.

An East African armada

The men's field is deep. According to the Marathon Handbook website, 25 of the 36 men entered have already run under 2:08. Among Sawe's main rivals are Tanzanian Gabriel Geay (2:03:00) and Ethiopians Getaneh Molla, Guye Adola, and Shura Kitata. Ethiopian Selemon Barega, the 10,000m Olympic champion in Tokyo, will also be at the start, and legend Kenenisa Bekele, a two-time winner in Berlin, has confirmed his return, according to Olympics.com.

Assefa on her home turf

In the women's race, Ethiopian Tigst Assefa, the 2024 Olympic silver medalist in Paris, is the favorite. She holds the Berlin course record of 2:11:53, a time that was a world record when she set it in 2023. Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru, the 2025 winner with a time of 2:16:14, is expected to be her main rival. Ethiopia is fielding 10 of the 31 women entered, according to Marathon Handbook.

From Nairobi to Addis Ababa, and through Arusha, East Africa is heading to Berlin with the ambition of confirming its dominance over the fastest of the major road races. Story Africa will provide you with the results.