Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe shattered one of athletics’ most elusive barriers on Sunday (April 26), becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in an official race as he stormed to victory at the London Marathon in one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
After years of global obsession, lab‑backed experiments and near‑misses, the marathon’s ultimate barrier finally fell as Sawe obliterated the world record previously held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who set a time of 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe’s heels over much of the 42.195-kilometre course before fading down the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59.41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze in 2:00.28, making for the most remarkable men’s marathon finish in history.
As Kejelcha faded Sawe told reporters “40 kilometers was the point where I realized I’m now going to win, because my colleague from Ethiopia was so competitive. And when he dropped, that’s where I realized now I’m going to defend my title today in London.”
Sawe hopes future generations can go on to improve on his times saying: “They now know that to run a record is possible.
“It’s depending on the preparation you had and the passion you had and the discipline you had. So for me, I think I’ve shown them that nothing is not possible. Everything is possible.”
Kenya’s Sawe and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa were presented with their official world record certificates at a ceremony after Affesa also broke the women’s record, crossing the finish line in 2:15.41 seconds.
