Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe clocked in a season’s best time to storm to victory as the Berlin Marathon 2025 kicked off the World Marathon Majors for the autumn.
Sawe, after winning the 2025 London Marathon, is the headline act this year and went into the men’s race as the favourite. The Kenyan is tipped to one day challenge the late Kelvin Kiptum’s staggering world record (2:00:35).
Japan’s Akasaki Akira was a surprise second after a powerful second half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele came in third.
Sawe’s compatriot Rosemary Wanjiru won the women’s race, going one better than her previous second-place finish as she crossed the line just ahead of Ethiopia’s Dera Dida.
Berlin Marathon 2025 results
Men
1) Sabastian Sawe (KEN) – 2:02.16
2) Akira Akasaki (JPN) – 2:06:15
3) Chimdessa Debele (ETH) – 2:06:57
4) Guye Adola (ETH) – 2:07:11
5) Yuhei Urano (JPN) – 2:07:35
6) Hassan Chahdi (FRA) – 2:07:43
7) Shin Kimura (JPN) – 2:08:37
8) Hendrik Preiffer (GER) – 2:09:14
9) Joseph Tiophil Panga (TAN) – 2:09:35
10) Ahmed Ouhda (ITA) – 2:10:39
Women
1) Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) – 2:21:05
2) Dera Dida (ETH) – 2:21:08
3) Azmera Gebru (ETH) – 2:21:29
4) Viola Cheptoo (KEN) – 2:21:40
5) Fantu Worku (ETH) – 2:21:57
6) Fabienne Konigstein (GER) – 2:22:17
7) Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) – 2:23:02
8) Domenika Mayer (GER) – 2:23:16
9) Honami Maeda (JPN) – 2:24:36
10) Mestawut Fikir (ETH) – 2:24:52
What is the prize money?
Men’s and women’s elite races
1st €30,000
2nd €15,000
3rd €10,000
4th €8,000
5th €6,500
7th €4,000
8th €3,000
9th €2,000
10th €1,500
Bonuses
Men
1st runner sub-2:02:30: €30.000
1st/2nd sub-2:03:30: €15.000
World record (2:00:35): €50,000
Women
1st runner sub-2:16:00: €30.000
1st/2nd sub-2:18:00: €15.000
World record (2:09:53): €50,000
