If you want to raise your heart rate without even going for a run, check out the latest Instagram post from the fastest marathoner in history. ‘See you soon @berlinmarathon,’ posted Sabastian Sawe this morning, just 17 days after shattering the men’s marathon world record – and mythical sub-2 barrier – at this year’s London Marathon. That historic day, he posted 1:59:30 to achieve the unfathomable, with marathon debutant Yomif Kejelcha finishing on his heels in a just-as-staggering 1:59:41.
Sawe has now won all four of the marathons in which he’s competed – the other three being the 2024 Valencia Marathon (2:02:05), 2025 London Marathon (2:02:27) and 2025 Berlin Marathon (2:02:16), where his finish times, dare we say it, seem ‘slow’ in comparison to his latest feat.
But when you consider factors like course topography and usual race day conditions, the London Marathon is not among the fastest or ‘easiest’ 26.2-mile courses on the planet. The Valencia Marathon and Berlin Marathon, meanwhile, are – and Berlin alone has hosted nine world records since 1998. So now that Kenya’s Sawe has confirmed that he’ll be returning to the German capital to defend his Berlin Marathon title on Sunday 27 September, we’re already eagerly anticipating that world record count to go up to 10.
But it may not be all plain sailing. Last year’s Berlin Marathon was hampered by unseasonably hot weather – and despite winning the event outright, Sawe was more than two minutes outside of that ambitious sub-2 goal. But this year, if conditions return to their cool, calm norm, Berlin, with its famously pancake-flat route, could stage the quickest marathon time so far.
There’s also the added bonus, or pressure, of this being the ‘home’ race for Adidas – a brand that will very much want Sawe to build on his recent form in London and put on a performance that’ll not only break the world record again, but also show the brand’s dominance in the running shoe wars. It’s likely, too, that Sawe will receive a sizeable bonus if he resets the world record on German soil.
However, 31-year-old Sawe is a modest man.
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‘Many people may be wondering what my goals are this time round,’ said the world record holder, as reported by Abbott World Marathon Majors, on his upcoming race in Berlin. ‘After coming off my win in London and sub-2 performance, I can only say that, like always, I plan to prepare myself to the best of my ability and to come to Berlin to honour this great event and organisation which have invited me, and to run as well and fast as possible.’
However, shortly after making history in London last month, Sawe did reveal to the BBC that 1:59:30 is not, he believes, his marathon ceiling. In fact, he feels that he could even run a 1:58 one day.
So could we see him go sub-1:59 in Berlin? We don’t mean to get you too excited, but... We’re excited.
Rachel is Runner's World UK's Senior Content Writer, covering all running-related topics from training advice and gear reviews to race reports and elite runner profiles. Formerly a Website Content Editor and Content Manager at London Marathon Events and The Running Channel respectively, Rachel is well-versed in the running scene and understands what it takes to put on some of the biggest running events in the world. A 2:50 marathoner, she would much rather run 26.2 miles than race a 5K and has currently completed 11 marathons, including five of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in a sub-3 time. She now hopes to run the Tokyo Marathon to complete the set and become a Six Star Finisher.
