Sabastian Sawe Targets His Own World Record in Berlin as Yomif Kejelcha Opts for Valencia

The world's two fastest marathoners, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe and Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, have revealed their race schedules for the season, but they will not be competing against each other this time.

In an interview with Quotidiano Sportivo on Tuesday, the athletes' manager, Gianni Demadonna, discussed their training and upcoming competitions. Sawe, who recently set a new world record of 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, is slated to compete at the 2026 Berlin Marathon in September.

Meanwhile, Kejelcha will return to the Valencia Marathon in December, a course where he previously set a half-marathon world record in 2024.

Demadonna also mentioned the plans for another top runner, Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo, who is expected to race at the 2026 Chicago Marathon in October. Kiplimo currently holds the half-marathon world record, a mark once held by Kejelcha.

"The goal is to do better in Berlin, I think Sawe will be there," Demadonna stated aas per Canadian Running Magazine. "Kejelcha will do Valencia, and I think Kiplimo will do Chicago."

The 2026 London Marathon was a historic event where several records were shattered. Sawe's world record performance came a decade after Nike's initial Breaking2 project. Kejelcha also made history, becoming the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon and finish second, a feat many believe was crucial in pushing Sawe to his record-breaking time.

The race also saw third-place finisher Jacob Kiplimo clock in at 2:00:28, a time faster than the late Kelvin Kiptum's previous world record of 2:00:35. On the women's side, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa set a new women-only world record with a time of 2:15:41.

With these marathon stars far from finished, their upcoming races are highly anticipated. Sawe's participation in the notoriously fast Berlin course could lead to an even faster time.

Kejelcha, returning to the site of a previous record-setting run for only his second marathon, also has the potential for a historic performance. As their manager confirmed, the goal is improvement, hinting that another world record attempt may be on the horizon.