Kenyan athlete Sawe aims to break Berlin marathon record as a tribute to Kipchoge and Kiptum
Kenyan Runner Sawe Aims to Redeem Kenya's Athletics Program in Berlin Marathon
Sebastian Sawe, the 29-year-old Kenyan marathon runner, is set to participate in this Sunday's Berlin Marathon, aiming to improve the reputation of Kenya's athletics program and challenge the two-hour mark in the marathon.
Sawe has had an extensive additional testing program overseen by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in the lead-up to the race, undergoing an additional 25 tests, an average of one every three days. This makes him the runner with the most additional doping controls conducted by the AIU before participating in the 2025 Berlin Marathon.
The Berlin Marathon course is known for being the flattest of the major marathon courses, providing fair conditions for a world record tilt. In fact, eight of the last nine men's marathon world records have been set in Berlin, with the only exception being the current world mark of 2:00:35, set by Sawe's compatriot Kiptum in Chicago in 2023. Kiptum's tragic death in a car accident in 2024 left Sawe as the man most likely to put pressure on the world record.
Sawe's victory in the London Marathon in April puts Kipchoge's 2022 course record of 2:01:09 within his reach. The runner, who considers Kipchoge, one of running's few household names, as a mentor, hopes to carry the torch passed on from Kipchoge and Kiptum in the marathon.
Sawe's early inspiration in running came from his uncle Abraham Chepkirwok, who still holds the national 800-metre record. He also finds inspiration in his grandmother Esther, who passed away in 2022, and aims to improve the reputation of Kenya's athletics program beyond medals and records.
Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, a four-time winner in Berlin, believes the event is the "perfect place" to beat the two-hour mark and supports Sawe in his quest.
However, Kenya's athletics program has been weighed down by a slew of doping cases, with the latest being the suspension of the female marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich by the AIU for doping in July. Sawe hopes the additional testing program will help "bring back our good name" and show that not all Kenyan athletes run dirty.
Sawe won the Valencia marathon in 2024 with a time of 2:02:05, which is the fifth fastest in history. He also won the Berlin half-marathon in 2023. With his determination, inspiration, and support from the running community, Sawe is ready to make his mark in the Berlin Marathon.
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