Sabastian Sawe was on pace to post a record time and slowed past the halfway point but still won the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in a world lead 2:02:16 while Rosemary Wanjiru took the women’s race in 2:21:05.
Sawe, 30, in just his third marathon, pushed the tempo of the race earlier in warmer conditions but was in position to deny defending champion Milkesa Mengesha another title.
But with the pacers keeping the momentum aggressive, Sawe gave a solid effort at posting a record performance on the flat course. At the 10k point he roared past in 28:26, with Mengesha next to him, in an early indicator that the record was still part of the plan. Sawe maintained the pace and clocked 60:16 at the half with a new mark still in play.
And at that point it was Sawe against the clock (and weather) as Mengesha would be denied a shot at repeating in Berlin and finishing. He dropped out with 15km remaining and the last pacer left the course just shy of the agreed 23km point.
Sawe was left to continue the rest of the race unassisted and passed the 30km mark at 1:26:06 even as hopes for a world record faded. He finished with the world-leading 2:02:16 which was nearly five minutes ahead of Akira Akasaki who was second in 2:06:15 while Chimdessa Debele took third in 2:06:57.
For Sawe, a third win in three tries has quickly transformed him into rising force in a new crop of distance talents.
“I gave it my all and I am very happy to have won the race,” Sawe later said. “It was tough in the heat.”
In the women’s race, Wanjiru was part of a lead pack that kept the pace reserved from the start in the warmer conditions. That same group, which included Dera Dida, Azmera Gebru, Viola Cheptoo and Fantu Worku would hold steady with a 69:07 half but start to separate just after the 25km point.
Wanjiru, 30, saw an opportunity shortly after and decided to make her move after opening a sizeable 25-second gap past the 30km mark at 1:38:41. But on a course that continued to get warmer, Wanjiru began to fade despite her lead holding at the 35km point which she crossed in 1:55:30. At the same point, Dida was in the distance at 1:56:23 but still pressing ahead.
By 40km, Dida was closing in and Wanjiru’s lead had been trimmed to 36 seconds and dropping rapidly. But Wanjiru, who needed help from the medical staff afterward, held on for the win in 2:21:05 with Dida taking second in just three seconds behind in 2:21:08 while Gebru was third in 2:21:29.
Men’s elite field
1. Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) – 2:02:16
2. Akasaki Akira (Japan) – 2:06:15
3. Chimdessa Debele (Ethiopia) – 2:06:57
4. Guye Adola (Ethiopia) – 2:07:11
5. Urano Yuhei (Japan) – 2:07:35
6. Hassan Chahdi (France) – 2:07:43
7. Kimura Shin (Japan) – 2:08:37
8. Hendrik Pfeiffer (Germany) – 2:09:14
9. Joseph Tiophil Panga (Tanzania) – 2:09:35
10. Ahmed Ouhda (Italy) – 2:10:39
Women’s elite field
Rosemary Wanjiru (Kenya) – 2:21:05
Dera Dida (Ethiopia) – 2:21:08
Azmera Gebru (Ethiopia) – 2:21:29
Viola Cheptoo (Kenya) – 2:21:40
Fantu Worku (Ethiopia) 2:21:57
Fabienne Königstein (Germany) – 2:22:17
Degitu Azimeraw (Ethiopia) – 2:23:02
Domenika Mayer (Germany) – 2:23:16
Maeda Honami (Japan) – 2:24:36
Mestawut Fikir (Ethiopia) – 2:24:52
Men’s wheelchair
Marcel Hug (Switzerland) – 1:17:30
David Weir (Great Britain) – 1:23:13
Geert Schipper (The Netherlands) – 1:24:14
Jetze Plat (The Netherlands) 1:24:14
Nishida Hiroki (Japan) 1:24:14
Ludwig Malter (Austria) – 1:24:15
Women’s wheelchair
Manuela Schär (Switzerland) – 1:35:08
Jade Hall (Great Britain) – 1:40:18
Eden Rainbow Cooper (Great Britain) – 1:40:19
Tatyana McFadden (USA) – 1:40:22
Patricia Eachus (Switzerland) – 1:47:25
Vanessa De Souza (Brazil) – 1:47:29
