Sabastian Sawe wins the 2024 Valencia Marathon in 2:02:05
Having already proven his prowess over the half marathon distance, Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe has now entered the history books for his phenomenal ability over the marathon – and he’s only completed one.
At the 2024 Valencia Marathon on Sunday (1 December), the 29-year-old came into his own when he won the 26.2-mile race – his first-ever one – in a blistering time of 2:02:05. Sawe, who looked confident, comfortable and in control throughout, finished 33 seconds ahead of second-place Deresa Geleta of Ethiopia (2:02:38), while fellow Ethiopian Daniel Mateiko, another debutant, claimed third (2:04:24).
Sawe’s impressive debut result also doubled as the world lead, eclipsing the previous best of 2:02:16 clocked by Benson Kipruto when he won – and set the course record at – the Tokyo Marathon in March. What’s more, it established him as the fifth-fastest marathon runner of all time, behind late world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele and Sisay Lemma.
Sisay Lemma, in fact, was back on the streets of Valencia in a bid to seize his seconds consecutive victory at the marathon, having set the course record of 2:01:48 in 2023. However, he started to drift behind the lead pack after 30km to then finish the race in tenth position (2:04:59).
The ever-popular Bekele, who set the masters world record of 2:04:19 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon, also returned to the popular Spanish race this year. The 42-year-old Ethiopian similarly struggled to make headway, though, and fell behind the leaders around the halfway mark on Sunday.
‘It’s an amazing day – I’m so happy to be here and win in Valencia, which is so beautiful,’ said Sawe after his marathon win. ‘It’s my debut and I’m really happy to win today.
‘For the first part of course, I was seeing how it was going,’ he continued, reflecting on his bold performance. ‘For the second part, I tried to push myself. Then, finally, I was seeing if I can do better. And I did it.’
Sawe is already a formidable athlete over the half marathon, having won seven of his nine half marathon races. These include a victory at the 2022 Roma-Ostia Half Marathon in Italy – where he achieved his PB of 58:02 – and a gold medal-winning performance at the 2023 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia. In other words, Sawe is the reigning half marathon world champion.
And now, with a marathon win in Valencia – one of the fastest and most fiercely contested races on the planet – under his belt, we can expect to see more mighty performances from Sawe over 13.1 miles and 26.2 miles in future.
‘After this first marathon, I’m sure I can obtain more records,’ confirmed Sawe in Valencia.
On the women’s side, with last year’s winner and course record holder Amane Beriso out of the running due to injury, the new favourite going into the 2024 Valencia Marathon was Megertu Alemu of Ethiopia.
Having broken ahead of her competitors from the midway point, 27-year-old Alemu was seemingly untouchable as she ran the second half alone, making her winning time of 2:16:49 all the more emphatic. She finished well clear of Uganda’s Stella Chesang, who placed second (2:18:26), and compatriot Tiruye Mesfin, who completed the podium in third (2:18:35).
Finishing just 15 seconds off her PB, Alemu was disappointed to not have scored a new lifetime best with her win – but this was still, by far, her greatest marathon victory to date.
‘I can do a better mark, but I’m happy to win today,’ said Alemu after her race on Sunday. ‘At the finish line, all the people were clapping and that was really special. I can feel that today is a different day for Valencia.’
Held a month after the floods that devastated parts of Spain, including Valencia, this year’s race commenced with a moment of silence for the victims. The organisers of the Valencia Marathon also pledged to donate €3 (£2.50) to a flood recovery fund for every runner who crossed the 2024 finish line, with runners being encouraged to donate to the cause as well.
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