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Kenyan runner makes history with unprecedented marathon time
Sabastian Sawe became the first athlete to complete a marathon in under two hours in a competitive race, clocking 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on Sunday. The 31-year-old Kenyan shattered the previous world record by 65 seconds, a feat once deemed impossible under official conditions.
From pacemaker to record-breaker
Sawe's journey to marathon immortality began unconventionally. In 2022, he entered the Seville Half Marathon as a pacemaker but surged ahead to win with a course record. His marathon debut in Valencia two years later-finishing in 2:02:05-hinted at his potential, though few predicted the breakthrough that followed.
Despite setbacks, including a stress fracture after the Berlin Marathon and a back injury that disrupted his 2026 preparations, Sawe arrived in London focused on defending his title. The world record, he admitted, was never the plan.
"It was not in my mind. I was well prepared for this year's London Marathon, but what came surprised me because I was not thinking to run a world record."
Sabastian Sawe, speaking to BBC Sport
A race for the ages
London's notoriously challenging course-last hosting a men's world record in 2002-proved no obstacle for Sawe. He averaged a blistering 2:50 per kilometer, including a 13:42 split between 35km and 40km as he accelerated toward the finish. His performance was matched only by debutant Yomif Kejelcha, who also broke the two-hour barrier, while half-marathon world-record holder Jacob Kiplimo surpassed the previous record.
Eliud Kipchoge, the first to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a controlled 2019 event, hailed the day as historic. "Seeing two athletes break the magical two-hour barrier at London Marathon is proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible," he wrote on Instagram.
Technology, training, and trust
Sawe credited a combination of factors for his success: altitude training (200km weekly), advanced fuelling (115g of carbohydrates per hour during the race), and Adidas' Adios Pro 3 shoes, which weigh just 99g and promise a 1.6% improvement in running economy. The shoes, priced at £450, were also worn by Tigst Assefa when she set the women's-only record on the same day.
Amid doping scandals involving Kenyan athletes, Sawe sought to reassure critics. Adidas funded $50,000 for the Athletics Integrity Unit to conduct 25 out-of-competition tests on him before Berlin, with ongoing scrutiny ahead of London. "It shows Sabastian Sawe is clean," he said. "It keeps the awareness that we can run clean and run faster."
What's next?
Sawe's coach, Claudio Berardelli, believes the record is just the start. "He is far from reaching his full potential," Berardelli said, noting Sawe's physiological advantages and relentless work ethic. With only four marathons under his belt, the Kenyan has already run four of the 17 fastest times in history-and insists he can go faster. "Even 1:58 is possible," he claimed.
Race director Hugh Brasher called the achievement "an unbelievable day for sport," while former women's world-record holder Paula Radcliffe described it as "an iconic barrier" finally broken. For Sawe, born in Kenya's Rift Valley to a maize-farming family, the moment was simple: "a day to remember."
