In his distance race debut, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe won the Valencia Marathon, finishing in the fifth-fastest time ever.
Following his achievement, Sawe said: “I am so excited and happy to win here. It is a great moment for me.” He also won the half marathon title at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga last year.
In a social media post, Sawe wtote: “I can’t find the right words to say but I am extremely happy on a super debut over the marathon distance with a time of 2:02.05 to take the win @maratonvalencia…. To my club @2runningclub & management @demadonnathletics, thank you & nice teamwork! 🙏”
The athlete added: “My heart goes out once again to the people of Valencia 🫶🫶”
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Sawe, 28, won the race in two hours, two minutes, and five seconds. Only Kelvin Kiptum, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, and Sisay Lemma have run faster in the past.
Athletes’ performance records
Deresa Geleta of Ethiopia finished second in 2:02:38 and Kenyan Daniel Mateiko finished third in 2:04:24 in the Valencia Marathon.
Megertu Alemu of Ethiopia won the women’s race with a performance record of 2:16:49. Stella Chesang of Uganda placed second with a time of 2:18:26 and Tiruye Mesfin of Ethiopia was third in 2:18:35.
The race started with a moment of respect for the victims of floods that killed over 220 people in the Valencia region a month ago. The 35,000 runners were encouraged to donate to a flood recovery fund, and the organizers promised to provide 3 euros (£2.50) for each finisher.
Source: BBC