Browsing: marathon

From NCAA Cross Country champ to marathon American Record-setter, Conner Mantz has progressed relentlessly through “the accumulation of a lot of years of training.†(MIKE SCOTT)

DISPLAYING RUNNING FORM that has by now become familiar, Conner Mantz hit the big time in 2021 when he raced to the first of his two NCAA Cross Country titles, conquering the roller coaster hills on the challenging Oklahoma State course. Right from the gun, the BYU junior relentlessly attacked the steep inclines, propelling his compact frame up the hills as if they were rewarding King of the Mountain points. But there was no let-up, hill after hill, lap after lap, he just kept hammering in his go-for-broke stride.

Ed Eyestone, Mantzâ€s longtime mentor, has gotten used to it. “Sometimes itâ€s a little deceiving because with his form, the tilt of his shoulders and his arm carry, it looks as if heâ€s going all out,†says the coach.

The no let-up aspect has persisted with Mantz since that demonstrative NCAA win as he has charged through an ever-progressing marathon career and his closely-followed 2:04:43 American Record run in Chicago.

“It was a great feeling to get the American Record,†Mantz says, beaming at the thought. Then his competitive nature takes over as he adds a more critical assessment. “I made a few mistakes and those last few miles were really tough. The first mile I ran in 4:30 and it felt very quick, and I thought I could finish up a lot stronger than I did.â€

What Mantz did relish was racing with HOKA NAZ Eliteâ€s Alex Masai, a Hofstra 10,000m All-American in â€21 and the younger brother of Kenyan Olympians Moses and Linet Masai.

“Fortunately, I got to work with Alex for those last 10 miles,†Mantz says. “I wasnâ€t able to beat him, but Iâ€m very happy for him. He got 3rd place and thatâ€s his first podium finish and a big PR for him as well.

“My first marathon here 3 years ago I ran 2:08:16. Since then I have just done a lot of little things that have added up. I added some mileage, and I went to live in Park City at 7300 feet. That was something different in this build, but I think itâ€s just the accumulation of a lot of years of training.â€

Mantz seems to have been destined for this record, be it via running half-marathons as a schoolboy or his prudent choice of a college.

“When I was trying to figure out where to go to college, I wanted to go to a place that would make me the best marathoner, long term. That was BYU and Coach Eyestone.

“Coach Eyestone really helped me get this record. He has coached me for the last 8 years, and thatâ€s a long time. Iâ€m grateful for his patience and his support and his example of how to be balanced.â€

That balance was instrumental as expectations built up along with Mantzâ€s accomplishments throughout the year He ran an AR 59:17 half-marathon in January and then in April finished 4th in Boston.

“I think being able to run 2:05:08 in Boston on a tough course gave me the confidence,†Mantz says. “I donâ€t like to state my goals, but after Boston everybody thought I was going to go after the record so it didnâ€t seem to matter if I said it or not. My stretch goals were sub 2:04 and a podium finish.â€

Whatever the goals, it all came down to performing on race day, and after his rapid start, Mantz settled into a 62:19 opening half.

“I didnâ€t go out too quick and I think the pace I went out was exactly what I needed,†he says.

Throughout the race Mantz juggled racing against the clock and his competitors.

“With 10 miles to go I started doing the math — 3:00 Ks equals this time, or 5:00 miles equals this time. If I run 5:00 miles I can still get the record, but if I run 3:00 Ks I break 2:05.

“The pace was on my mind a lot until I started racing with Alex. By 30K, Geoffrey Kamworor had broken away with a couple of other guys and Alex and I started working together.

“At 36K, I passed Alex and said, ‘Letâ€s catch Kamworor.†I thought we were catching him but there was another gust of headwind and I turned to him and said, ‘Can you lead?†And he said, ‘Iâ€ll take the next K,†and he was moving.â€

The duo charged up Michigan Avenue moving past everyone save front-running Jacob Kiplimo and Amos Kipruto. Mantz then turned his sights to 3rd place and racing against Masai rather than with him.

“With a mile to go, I thought I had him. We were running really fast and then he just took off and switched to another gear. I owe him a lot. I think I wouldâ€ve gotten the record without him but I wouldnâ€t have run as fast.â€

In Eyestoneâ€s assessment, “This has been [Mantzâ€s] best year ever, so for me it was not a question if he would break the record, but by how much. Overall, it was a very good day. I donâ€t know if it was a perfect day. They had a tailwind early on and they went out fast. He went through in 62:19 and finished in 62:24 so thatâ€s pretty darn even. I think he did handle racing in that second pack well, and over the last 10K and he just continued to rise up the ranks.â€

Khalid Khannouchi, who ran his 2:05:38 AR at London in 2002, was on hand for the occasion and assessed, “Itâ€s about time,†then asked Mantz, “What took you so long?â€

Mantz wonâ€t have long to recover as he hopes to be back charging up hills in the upcoming World Cross in Tallahassee (January 10). “Itâ€s going to be a hard team to make. Iâ€ve got to take this break very seriously and then get back into shape very quickly.â€

When “Professor Marathon†isnâ€t crafting topographical maps and pace charts for 26-milers around the world, the now Emeritus geographer at Wisconsin–Eau Claire, serves as the Chair of the Lower Chippewa River conservation organization and hits the airwaves Thursday afternoons as a DJ on a community radio program called “All Things 6 String.†(Hint: Sean’s the one in the photo who never set a World Record ?)

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Churning out 5K segments of about 16:00 each, Hawi Feysa had pacing help into the 21st mile and then quickly opened a 15-meter margin that only grew until the finish. (MIKE SCOTT)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 12 — Hawi Feysa made the most of her first appearance in the Windy Cityâ€s famed annual contest on its speedway course. The 26-year-old Ethiopian led from the start to her smiling 2:14:57 finish.

She had plenty to smile about as she became just the sixth woman under 2:15 — trailing only Ruth Chepngetich, Tigst Assefa, Sifan Hassan and Brigid Kosgei as she moved to No. 5 on the all-time list. By one second, she pushed her training partner Amane Beriso (2:14:58 at London in â€22) back one spot on the ATL.

“I feel very happy,†Feysa said. “The race conditions were good. The course was good, and my coach Gemedu [Dedefo] gave me a lot of good preparation heading into this race. I felt confident. I trained really hard to have this victory and I feel I can run faster in the future.â€

Chicago is now home to 5 of the top 6 all-time womenâ€s performances, and this edition yielded 5 sub-2:20s. Ethiopiaâ€s Megertu Alemu finished 2nd in 2:17:18 with Tanzaniaâ€s Magdalena Shauri 3rd in 2:18:03. Following the lead trio were Kenyans Loice Chemnung (2:18:23) and Mary Ngugi (2:19:25).

Natosha Rogers found her third marathon effort to be the charm as the â€12 NCAA 10,000 champion finished as first American. Rogers took 6th in a PR 2:23:28. Paris Olympian Dakotah Popehn (formerly Lindwurm also notched a PR finishing 8th in 2:24:20.

Right from the gun, Feysa followed male pacer Chala Beyo to the front, targeting 16:00 splits for each 5K segment — 2:15 pace. “That was the plan,†Feysa noted, “to run even pace.â€

They hit the first 5K in 16:07, then got on tempo through subsequent 5K segments of 16:02, 15:55 and 15:59 to cross halfway spot at 67:30.

Feysa was far from alone. Shauri ran next to her, and the Ethiopian duo of Alemu and Ejgayehu Taye ran with their pacer 7 seconds back.

The steady tempo continued through 16:00 and 15:55 5Ks to 30K in 1:35:54 — 2:14:53 pace. Feysa just followed Beyo apparently unconcerned with her competition as Shauri fell away in the 28th kilometer. Then Alemu surged to within 5 seconds — maybe a bit of a concern as the challenger had run a PR 2:16:34 to finish 4th in London â€24 then scored a 2:16:49 win last December in Valencia.

No, Feysa soon had a larger development interfere with her race plan as Beyo, her dedicated pacer in training and races, pulled up with blisters in the 34th K.

The petite Feysa missed Beyoâ€s windbreak more than the pacing as she recounted, “There was a bit of wind after 30K and that became challenging, but I had confidence in my training.â€

Feysa, indeed, kept up her own pace through a 16:04 and fended off Megertuâ€s challenge by extending her lead to 15 seconds at 35K.

Maintaining a fluid arm carry and steady stride, Feysa cruised through the final kilometers looking like she was running 2:15 pace very much within herself. She was.

“I do a lot of training like this in practice,†she said. “I am teammates of Tigst Assefa, and Amane Beriso and we are training at times like 2:13 or 2:14. We work on this, so I was just locking in on the rhythm we have in our long, hard group runs.â€

Feysaâ€s training pedigree carried her through another 16:00 split as she hit 40K at 2:15:00 pace, then closed in 6:58 to peel away a significant 4 seconds, closing out a 1:07:30/1:07:26 even-paced masterpiece.

The win also cemented Feysaâ€s rise to the top echelon of womenâ€s marathon in just her fifth 42K race.

Primarily a trackster, Feysa finished 8th in the â€19 World Championships 5000 and has logged 8 DL races. She also mixed in cross and road races throughout her career including a runner-up finish in the World XC Junior race of â€17.

Feysa had a banner year on the track in â€22, running 8:38.48 and 14:33.66 PRs — followed by debilitating injuries that sent her to the marathon the next year.

Training full time with Gemeduâ€s A-group, Feysa raced to a breakout 2:17:25 course record win a year ago in Frankfurt. She hit the podium in her first WMM race this past March in Tokyo running 2:17:00 for 3rd.

Feysa is quick to credit Gemeduâ€s guidance: “My coach gave me training that prepared me very well. Beyond just the training, he has given me confidence. He has told me many times that I can win. He is giving me the morale to think that maybe I can do this.â€

CHICAGO WOMENâ€S RESULTS

1. Hawi Feysa (Eth) 2:14:57 (5, 6 W) (16:06, 16:02 [32:08], 15:52 [48:00], 15:59 [1:03:59], 16:00 [1:19:59], 15:55 [1:35:54], 16:04 [1:51:58], 16:01 [2:07:59], 6:58) (1:07:30/1:07:27);

2. Megertu Alemu (Eth) 2:17:18; 3. Magdalena Shauri (Tan) 2:18:03; 4. Loice Chemnung (Ken) 2:18:24; 5. Mary Ngugi (Ken) 2:19:26; 6. Natosha Rogers (US) 2:23:28; 7. Dakotah Popehn (formerly Lindwurm) (US) 2:24:20; 8. Florencia Borelli (Arg) 2:24:23; 9. Gabriella Rooker (US) 2:26:32; 10. Melody Julien (Fra) 2:27:08; 11. Bedatu Hirpa (Eth) 2:27:51; 12. Marta Galimany (Spa) 2:28:24; 13. Aubrey Frentheway (US) 2:28:56;

14. Makenna Myler (US) 2:29:26; 15. Maggie Montoya (US) 2:29:51; 16. Rachel McCardell (US) 2:34:31; 17. Maria Lindberg (US) 2:34:59; 18. Anna Kenig-Ziesler (US) 2:35:25; 19. Christa Cain (GB) 2:35:31; 20. Maddie Meyers (US) 2:35:37; 21. Rachel Hyland (US) 2:35:41; 22. Kristin Dailey (US) 2:36:08; 23. Alana Levy (US) 2:36:53; 24. Ashley Heidenrich (US) 2:37:04.

When “Professor Marathon†isnâ€t crafting topographical maps and pace charts for 26-milers around the world, the now Emeritus geographer at Wisconsin–Eau Claire, serves as the Chair of the Lower Chippewa River conservation organization and hits the airwaves Thursday afternoons as a DJ on a community radio program called “All Things 6 String.†(Hint: Sean’s the one in the photo who never set a World Record ?)

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In just his second marathon, Jacob Kiplimo (drinking) ran with defending champ John Korir and others early, then broke the race open with 8M to run. (KEVIN MORRIS)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 12 — It took only 2:02:23 for Jacob Kiplimo to demonstrate that he is making great progress in his transition up to 42K as he cruised to a comfortable win in the Windy City.

As if his 2:03:37 debut and 2nd-place finish last April in London left much doubt, the 24-year-old Ugandan secured his first win and became the 7th-fastest all-time, running the 11th-fastest time. More impressive was the ease with which Kiplimo moved down the road in a stride smoother than his more experienced rivals.

“Iâ€m so happy for the results I have today,†he beamed. “I came here to win the race and it is a big achievement for me.â€

Kenyans Amos Kipruto (2:03:54) and Alex Masai (2:04:37) finished 2nd and 3rd. American Conner Mantz crossed 6 seconds later, just missing the podium, but nailing the American Record with an even-paced 2:04:43.

For the 28-year-old BYU grad, “It was a great day! I have been eyeing this record for a very long time, maybe even when it was not a realistic goal. To actually hit the goal, it feels real good.â€

Itâ€s hard to believe that Kiplimo will celebrate just his 25th birthday in November as he has been world-class since competing in the 5000 at the â€16 Olympics.

Very accomplished on the track with 7:26.64/12:40.96/26:33.93 PRs, the â€21 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000 has taken a back seat to fellow Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei. He has fared better on the grass taking home three World Cross titles, and even better in the half-marathon where he has a stellar competitive record and ran a staggering 56:42 WR this past February in Barcelona.

Kiplimo embarked on his marathon career with a very strong showing in London where he chose not to play with fire as Sabastian Sawe surged away midrace.

In marathon No. 2, Kiplimo was more than ready to play with any fire including the scorching 8:17 opening 3K and 13:58 5K — sub-1:58 pace. Kiplimo ran next to defending champ John Korir, with Korirâ€s fellow Kenyans Kipruto, Timothy Kiplagat and Philemon Kiplimo ready to ramble.

Mantz also started fast, running in a large chase pack that split 14:23 — a ripe 2:01:23 tempo for starters.

Riding a light tailwind, the high pace continued over the northward opening 15K leg with the lead quintet splitting 42:41 — 2:00:04 pace. Mantz and the second group followed in 44:04 — 2:03:58 rhythm.

Tacking back into the wind, the pace slowed a tad and after the leaders crossed the halfway mat in 60:16, the final pacers stepped aside and the race was on — almost immediately.

Korir hit the front, throwing a serious pace punch in defense of his title with only Kiplimo and Kipruto able to give chase. Surging off WR pace, Korir looked to better last yearâ€s 2:02:44 winning clocking.

“I was in good shape, my body was feeling good, and I was ready to go,†he said.

Korir stretched his lead to 20m in the 23rd K before Kiplimo closed the gap and the two passed 25K together in 1:11:12. That 14:05 5K segment had dropped the cadence to 2:00:10.

Taking on fluids, Kiplimo took stock of his more experienced competitor. “To me, I knew that the guy was a little bit pushing too fast, so I decided to wait until 30km,†he said.

Korir made the next move, edging ahead in the 28th K only to give out as his stomach reacted badly to the surge. “My legs were good,†Korir lamented. “The only thing that let me down was my stomach and I had to slow†and eventually drop out.

Kiplimo sensed his competitorâ€s duress and moved quickly to open a 12-second lead at 30K.

“I knew that Chicago was going to be a strong field and coming here I was just preparing to run a good race. I knew that in the last 10K I can push the pace.â€

Running solo, the smooth-striding Ugandan strung together sub-2:54 Ks, but began to struggle with a 2:59 kilometer 35 after turning into the southernmost leg of the course and a freshening headwind.

Kiplimo hit 35K still at 2:00:25 pace, but the tempo slowed to over 3:00 Ks, now on schedule for a 2:01:02 finish at 38K. Content with just finishing off his first win Kiplimo sat up in his saddle and ran cautiously to the finish.

“I was not thinking about the World Record,†he admitted. “I was a little bit tired, so I was just keeping up, doing my best to finish the race well.â€

“This is my second marathon, and I think today I learned a lot about myself. In marathon you just need to be patient and itâ€s about how you prepare yourself, how you prepare your mind and your body. This is the second one and I know the third one will be different again. I will do more, better than this one.â€

Mantz fared better over his second half after crossing the midpoint in 62:19 still ensconced in a 13-man chase pack. After Geoffrey Kamworor pulled 10 seconds clear of the group at 35K, Mantz and Hofstra alum Masai teamed up for the stretch run.

The duo caught Kamworor and the fast-fading Philemon Kiplimo, then took off in a sprint for the final podium spot. Mantz conceded, “My final gear was a lot slower than his final gear.â€

Wesley Kiptoo celebrated his recent U.S. citizenship as the Iowa State grad finished 14th in 2:09:02, followed by Ryan Ford 15th at 2:09:37, Galen Rupp 16th in 2:09:41 and Andrew Colley 17th in 2:09:43.

The 39-year-old Rupp was “happy just to be out racing again.†The â€17 Chicago champ added, “I still have something in me.â€

CHICAGO MENâ€S RESULTS

1. Jacob Kiplimo (Uga) 2:02:23 (7, 11 W) (13:58, 14:27 [28:25], 14:16 [42:41], 14:25 [57:06], 14:06 [1:11:12], 14:19 [1:25:31], 14:22 [1:39:53], 15:17 [1:55:10], 7:13) (1:00:16/1:02:07);

2. Amos Kipruto (Ken) 2:03:54; 3. Alex Masai (Ken) 2:04:37;

4. Conner Mantz (US) 2:04:43 AR (old AR—2:05:38 Khalid Khannouchi [NBal] â€02) (14:23, 14:57 [29:20], 14:44 [44:04], 14:56 [59:00], 14:40 [1:13:40], 14:44 [1:28:24], 14:51 [1:43:15], 14:57 [1:58:12], 6:31) (1:02:19/1:02:24);

5. Mohamed Esa (Eth) 2:04:49; 6. Seifu Tura (Eth) 2:05:17; 7. Geoffrey Kamworor (Ken) 2:05:31; 8. Philemon Kiplimo (Ken) 2:06:14; 9. Rory Linkletter (Can) 2:06:49; 10. Bashir Abdi (Bel) 2:07:08; 11. Zouhair Talbi (Mor) 2:07:27; 12. Timothy Kiplagat (Ken) 2:07:42; 13. Daniel Ebenyo (Ken) 2:07:52; 14. Wesley Kiptoo (US) 2:09:02;

15. Ryan Ford (US) 2:09:37; 16. Galen Rupp (US) 2:09:41; 17. Andrew Colley (US) 2:09:43; 18. Aidan Troutner (US) 2:10:23; 19. CJ Albertson (US) 2:10:38; 20. Colin Mickow (US) 2:11:24; 21. Haftu Knight (US) 2:11:39; 22. Hiroto Inoue (Jpn) 2:12:26; 23. Afewerki Zeru (US) 2:13:23; 24. Cody Sedbrook (US) 2:15:53; 25. Casey Clinger (US) 2:16:05;… dnf—John Korir (Ken).

Sieg Lindstrom is Track & Field News‘s Editor. He fell in love with the sport as a high school distance runner, and has covered 9 editions of the Olympics and 16 outdoor World Championships. In a feverish effort to brush up his résumé before he was hired, he also attended the â€84 Olympics and â€87 Worlds as a fan.

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Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda and Hawi Feysa Gejia of Ethiopia are the 2025 Chicago Marathon champions in a race that also featured a new American record on the men’s side.

Kiplimo won the men’s competition with a time of two hours, two minutes and 23 seconds, which was enough to outpace fellow podium-finishers Amos Kipruto and Alex Masai.

Conner Mantz of the United States finished in fourth place and set the American record with a time of two hours, four minutes and 43 seconds.

As for the women’s competition, Feysa broke free in the latter portion of the race and cruised to a win.

Here is a look at the top finishers:

It seemed like Kiplimo would challenge for a world record since he was under pace for approximately 22 hours. He ultimately fell short of the 2:00:35 world record, which was set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon by Kelvin Kiptum.

However, this year’s victor still needed a strong finish to hold off Kipruto. That it was Kiplimo’s second career marathon made it all the more impressive.

As for Mantz, he broke Khalid Khannouchi’s American record of 2:05:38 from the 2002 London Marathon by nearly a full minute. Khannouchi was part of NBC Chicago’s coverage and joked with Mantz, “What took you so long?”

On the women’s side, Feysa added to her resume that also includes the 2025 Tokyo Marathon bronze medal. She seized control around the 18th mile and defeated Megertu Alemu by nearly three minutes.

The Chicago Marathon is always highly anticipated as one of the three World Marathon Majors in the United States, and this year was certainly no different.

Ashley Tysiac of Runner’s Worldcalled the men’s competition “one of the deepest fields” of the year with reigning champion John Korir returning to face a field that included half marathon world-record holder Kiplimo and Mantz.

It has also been just two years since Kiptum set the 2:00:35 world record in Chicago, and record watch is always an area of focus in the Windy City.

As for the women’s competition, Tysiac called it a “wide-open” field since reigning champion and world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich is suspended after a positive drug test. Tysiac highlighted Ethiopians Alemu and Feysa as candidates to take home the title.

That was quite a prediction considering they finished in first and second place.

All of the runners were facing a course that travels through some of Chicago’s most famous neighborhoods, including Lincoln Park, Old Town, Greek Town, Little Town and Chinatown. Much of the race runs parallel to Lake Michigan, and runners finished at Grant Park.

And nobody finished faster than Kiplimo for the men and Feysa for the women.

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TORONTO — Everybody was talking about it. How could you not?

Even here at Rogers Centre, a building bursting with anticipation for ALCS Game 1 on Sunday, folks were bleary eyed from taking in the eternal thrill ride that was Game 5 of the ALDS between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers. With the victorious Mariners airborne en route to Toronto, many of the Jays players and coaches were asked how they experienced the chaotic, 15-inning marathon the night prior.

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Some stayed up into the wee hours to see which team the Blue Jays would square off against with a trip to the World Series on the line. Others, by design or by accident, went to bed.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

The latter the case for Game 1 starter Kevin Gausman, who admitted during his Saturday media conference that he didnâ€t watch the mayhem. Manager John Schneider went out to dinner with his wife on a rare night off this month; he was surprised to see the game was still going when he returned home. Starting pitcher Shane Bieber stayed up until the 13th inning but then called it quits, perhaps exhausted by the sheer number of runners stranded in extras.

Ty France, the Jays†backup first baseman who spent four years in Seattle, also conked out around the 13th but was shaken awake by his wife, who happened to wake up just before Jorge Polanco ended the evening. Ernie Clement was proud to share he made it through all 15 from the comfort of his couch. Daulton Varsho didnâ€t watch a pitch.

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But the best tale from Blue Jays land about ALDS Game 5 came from outfielders Myles Straw and Davis Schneider, who decided to watch the winner-take-all contest from a bar. The duo thought it would be a relatively relaxing evening — grab a few brews, watch a ballgame, see who their opponent would be.

“We were literally like, ‘All right, weâ€ll just watch the game, but weâ€re not leaving ’til the game is over,â€â€ Schneider told Yahoo Sports. “And then it f***ing took forever.â€

Straw and Schneider did stay for the whole thing, chatting with Jays fans about whom theyâ€d rather face in the next round. Given Schneiderâ€s conspicuous mustache, he and Straw were easy to spot, and they had a fun night. Thankfully, the Jays had just a light workout Saturday, with an afternoon start time.

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For the Mariners, the turnaround is much more imposing. By the time J.P. Crawford touched home in the bottom of the 15th, sending T-Mobile Park into revelrous pandemonium, the clock was already past 10 p.m. local time. On the East Coast, Friday had already turned to Saturday. But the Mariners didnâ€t skip town in a rush; there was some well-earned Champagne that needed popping. In fact, the team didnâ€t head east until Saturday morning — and only after the team charter was delayed.

The Mariners are alive, but they are also running on fumes, with a pitching staff depleted from the eternal madness of Game 5. Had they won that contest in anything resembling normal fashion, Seattle would have almost certainly started Luis Castillo in ALCS Game 1. But he pitched in relief Friday for the first time as a big leaguer, earning the unlikely win. Instead, the Mâ€s will turn to Bryce Miller, who took the ball in Game 3 of the ALDS, on short rest.

The Seattle bullpen, too, even with the so-called off day, will not be at full strength Sunday. Itâ€s a dynamic that benefits the Jays, who watched Game 5 with increasing glee. But speaking Saturday, Mariners manager Dan Wilson seemed unfazed by this latest wrinkle.

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“I think a lot of times players will gain some energy from that,†he said of the epic victory.

Besides, his team is used to this. “The Mariners do a lot of traveling. We do a lot of East Coast traveling,†he said. “It’ll just be an extension of the season in some ways. We should be good to go.â€

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Former Olympic track cyclist Dani Rowe took up running in 2018 after retiring from cycling but she says adapting to running was not an easy transition.

“When I was riding we weren’t allowed to do any running whatsoever, no weight-bearing but it was something I always wanted to do post-cycling career,” she said.

“I actually struggled initially with stress fractures because of having done no weight-bearing exercise with cycling, [I had a low] bone density.

“My heart and lungs were almost too strong for my bones, tendons and ligaments – which are obviously what you need for running.

“I had to go back to basics with walk-running and really build up, and in the last few years I’ve done the Manchester half and London full marathons and loved every minute.”

A mother of two, she says she was inspired to take part after watching the event with her children.

“It was just incredible, the atmosphere, I think I cried multiple times just watching people running and doing incredible things for charities,” she said.

“I’m a better person and mum through exercising and running gives me that outlet to switch off and have me time and pushing my body.

“When I run, I find that every version of myself is better.”

She is targeting a finish time of one hour and 30 minutes for her half-marathon.

“I’ve had an amazing friend who’s been trying to coach me to try to break that target on Sunday but it’s going to be tough,” she said.

“I’ve had such a busy lead-up I couldn’t have done any more so I’ll have to be pleased with whatever it is when I cross the finish line.”

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Sabastian Sawe came prepared to run WR pace in his second marathon. The weather declined to cooperate. (VICTOR SAILER/PHOTO RUN)

BERLIN, GERMANY, September 21 — The 2025 Berlin Marathon may well be long remembered as the one that got away. Thatâ€s why Sabastian Saweâ€s ever-dominant 2:02:16 win, good for =No. 6 on the all-time performance list, merited a muted response from the champion.

â€Iâ€m happy for this performance,†the 30-year-old Kenyan said. “I felt good at the beginning, and I hoped to run fast, to run my personal best. Then it was hot, and I just managed to get this outcome. I expected to run faster, but I accept the results that I have today.â€

Saweâ€s hot reference was a bit of an understatement as an unusual batch of warm and humid air moved in a couple days before the race, delivering a performance-stifling 16-degree (60.8F) dewpoint at the start and 17 (62.6F) midrace. Thatâ€s a Berlin record, not a friendly one, for a crucial metric.

Saweâ€s third straight 2:02 win was quite remarkable given that the conditions simply overwhelmed the elite fields. Akira Akasaki finished 2nd in 2:06:15, as the 7th-place finisher in the Olympic Marathon led a strong contingent of Japanese runners. Ethiopians placed 3rd and 4th: Chimdesa Debele with 2:06:57 and Guye Adola with 2:07:11.

The women also suffered. Kenyan Rosemary Wanjiru (2:21:05) just made it to the finish line ahead of Ethiopiaâ€s Dera Dida (2:21:08) and Azmera Gebru (2:21:29), the slowest podium times in a decade.

Sawe came to the German capital with great expectations. Following the late Kelvin Kiptumâ€s swift footsteps, Sawe logged a debut 2:02:05 victory in Valencia last December followed by a 2:02:23 runaway win in London. Kiptum ran his stunning WR 2:00:43 in his third marathon (with a very favorable 3 degree [37.4F] dewpoint), and Sawe looked to run really fast in Berlin.

Ensconced in the middle of a diamond-shaped pacing formation, Sawe started with determination, zipping the opening 5K in 14:09 and 10K in 28:26. That translated to 1:59:25 pace at the first checkpoint and 2:00:02 at the latter.

The shady opening kilometers were but a mirage that quickly faded in the bright sun. Defending champ Milkesa Mengesha and Tanzanian Gabriel Geay soon gave up the chase, destined for DNFs. The two were far from alone as 9 of the top 13 runners at 10K would DNF.

Saweâ€s pacemakers also began to falter. At 15K (42:51, 2:00:32 pace) he was down to three pacers, and just two as he crossed halfway in 60:16, for all intents and purposes still on target.

The final two rabbits gave out in the 23rd and 24th kilometers. Humidity fatigue set in and 67 minutes into the race Sawe faced a long solo run home.

“At 5K my body was running naturally,†Sawe said. “I had no problems, then in the second half it became difficult to keep the pace.â€

Sawe accepted his fact: “I like running in the races, it has become special for me. So, I just had courage to run alone.â€

Saweâ€s strength as a marathoner is his ever-efficient shuffle stride the speed of which is deceiving as it appears effortless. Even with just a minimal muscle twitch in his legs, he managed to click off 2:56–2:58 kilos and keep a 2:02 time in play.

For Sawe, his coach Claudio Berardelli, and manager Eric Lilot you could sense the teamâ€s profound frustration as extensive preparations and superb training all disappeared into thick humid air.

“It seems like he had a very good performance in these conditions,†Berardelli analyzed. “He was so confident, because of the training done in Kenya, that I think he was not taking into consideration the weather.â€

“Itâ€s only his third marathon, and with three wins we canâ€t complain. He told Eric it was probably the hardest race ever in his life. I like that because it means that itâ€s pushing his idea of what is fatigue and what he can sustain to a new dimension. Weâ€ll see, but itâ€s a bit of a bittersweet taste.

Wanjiru had finished 2nd at Berlin in â€22, then won her first WMM title a year later in Tokyo, her adopted home. Thereâ€s no doubt that her second WMM title was well earned, down to the very last step.

The 30-year-old Kenyanâ€s race followed a similar humidity-impacted trajectory. She started fast through 15K (2:18:07 pace), kept it up through 35K (2:19:16 pace), then fell off sharply over the closing kilometers.

Born in Mombasa and accustomed to warm weather racing in Japan, Wanjiru surged away from the 5-woman lead pack at 27K and built a 53-second lead at 35K. She still held a 36-second advantage at 40K when the humidity won out.

Passing 41K, it was readily apparent that Wanjiru had little left. She staggered across the road while Dida and Gebru closed in. Wanjiru just managed to hold onto her lead as she crossed and crashed at the finish line.

Carted away to the medical tent and then to hospital, by evening Wanjiru had recovered and was able to recount her race — sort of:

“I broke the pack between 27 and 28 kilometers, from there I just went with my pacemaker. Then when we reached 35K he just stopped. I said, ‘What?! Nobody is there for me; let me just keep my body moving and see what will happen.â€

“I just keep pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing. At the end, unfortunately the last 1200m, I was feeling Iâ€m losing control, unconscious. Iâ€m just running but I donâ€t know where Iâ€m going. Even when I finished the race, I didnâ€t know that I finished. Marathon is not just running, you have to fight, and it is not that easy.â€

BERLIN MARATHON MENâ€S RESULTS

(World Marathon Major)

1. Sabastian Sawe (Ken) 2:02:16 (x, =8 W) (60:16/1:02:00);

2. Akira Akasaki (Jpn) 2:06:15 PR; 3. Chimdesa 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 Pfeiffer (Ger) 2:09:14; 9. Joseph Tiophil (Tan) 2:09:35 PR; 10. Ahmed Ouhda (Ita) 2:10:39 PR;… 15. Nick Hauger (US) 2:11:48 PR;… 20. Eddie Mulder (US) 2:15:07 PR;… 26. Joe Whelan (US) 2:18:21;… 32. Will Nation (US) 2:19:58;… 46. Brendan Martin (US) 2:22:15.

BERLIN MARATHON WOMENâ€S RESULTS

1. Rosemary Wanjiru (Ken) 2:21:05; 2. Dera Dida (Eth) 2:21:08; 3. Azmera Gebru (Eth) 2:21:29; 4. Violah Lagat (Ken) 2:21:40 PR; 5. Fantu Worku (Eth) 2:21:57 PR; 6. Fabienne Königstein (Ger) 2:22:17 PR; 7. Degitu Azimeraw (Eth) 2:23:02; 8. Domenika Mayer (Ger) 2:23:16 PR; 9. Honami Maeda (Jpn) 2:24:36; 10. Mestawot Fikir (Eth) 2:24:52; 11. Aleksandra Lisowska (Pol) 2:24:59 PR;…19. Katja Goldring (US) 2:37:37;… 30. Sarah Reiter (US) 2:42:56; 31. Emily Haggerty (US) 2:44:53.

When “Professor Marathon†isnâ€t crafting topographical maps and pace charts for 26-milers around the world, the now Emeritus geographer at Wisconsin–Eau Claire, serves as the Chair of the Lower Chippewa River conservation organization and hits the airwaves Thursday afternoons as a DJ on a community radio program called “All Things 6 String.†(Hint: Sean’s the one in the photo who never set a World Record ?)

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru – also of Ethiopia – coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

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