When Rosemary Wanjiru started last year's Berlin Marathon, she had only one thing in mind: to beat her personal best of 2:16:14 on a familiar course.
After 21 kilometres, everything seemed to run according to plan and Wanjiru hit her target times.
Berlin, one of the fastest marathon courses in the world, was living up to its billing and the pacemakers were on point, the weather was cool, and Wanjiru was tucked comfortably in the lead pack, her rhythm perfect and a new personal best beckoned.
Then the sun came out and what followed was a brutal test of character as the heat played havoc on the field.
Wanjiru dug deepest as the sun sapped her energy, surging ahead in the in the closing stages to cross the line first, but her winning time of 2:21:05 was well short of her personal best.
Ethiopians Dera Dida (2:21:08) and Amera Gebru (2:21:29) came in a close second and third respectively.
" I was aiming to lower my personal best but in the second half, temperatures rose very quickly and everybody was affected. I had to fight all the way to the finish line," recalled the 31-year-old Wanjiru when Nation Sports caught up with her in Elgeyo Marakwet on Tuesday.
Kenya's Rosemary Wanjiru crosses the line to win the Women's elite race during Berlin Marathon in Germany on September 21, 2025.
Photo credit: Reuters
On Sunday, she returns to the German capital seeking redemption.
Wanjiru did reclaim the title that had been dominated by the Ethiopians since 2019, when Gladys Cherono last won.
Wanjiru has spent the last three months locked in an intense training block at high altitude in Iten, under the watchful eye of her coaches.
She has focused on heat adaptation and second-half strength, just in case the Berlin weather acts up.
"My preparations have been good and I am optimistic that I will run a good race and defend my title," said Wanjiru.
Defending a World Marathon Major is never easy, and the Berlin field this year might be the toughest she has ever faced.
Headlining the start list is Ethiopia's Tigist Assefa, the former world record holder who rewrote history on this same course in 2023 when she ran a blistering world record 2:11:53. Assefa lost her world record the same year when Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich stunned the world with a 2:09:56 in Chicago, becoming the first woman to break the 2:10 barrier.
Rosemary Wanjiru (left) trains with her Berlin Marathon-designated pacemaker Vincent Kiprotich at Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy in Iten, Eldoret Marakwet County on September 10, 2025.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Now, Assefa is back in Berlin and she is not hiding her ambition of attempting a world record once again.
That sets up a fascinating tactical clash with Wanjiru, who finished second in Berlin in 2022, in a race that was won by Assefa.
“I don’t look at who is around me. I am aware of the competition and it shall push me to my limits,” said Wanjiru, relishing the challenge.
Bedatu Hirpa (2:18:227), Dera Dida (2:18:32), Zeinaba Yimer (2:18:47), Bosena Mulatie (2:19:00) are also in the mix.
