Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, who last month became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in an official race, will attempt to improve on that record at the Berlin Marathon this September, organisers said on Wednesday.

The 31-year-old ran the London Marathon in one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds and will return to competition to defend his Berlin title on September 27.

"After my victory in London and my sub-two-hour performance, I will – as always – prepare as well as possible, come to Berlin to honour this great event and the organisation that invited me, and aim to run as well and as fast as I can," Sawe said in a statement.

The Berlin Marathon is renowned for its flat course, considered one of the fastest in the world, where nine men’s world records were set between 1998 and 2022.

Sawe finished the 2025 Berlin Marathon in two hours, two minutes, and 16 seconds, posting the world’s best time of the year despite temperatures reaching 25 degrees Celsius. His compatriot Eliud Kipchoge still holds the course record, having run 2:01:09 in 2022 to set a previous world record.

"We’ll see what happens on race day," Sawe added.

Organisers said the 2026 Berlin Marathon is expected to attract nearly 60,000 athletes from around 160 countries.

-Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters