Kenyan Sabastian Sawe became the first person to run a marathon race in under two hours, winning the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 30 seconds.
Sawe, the world’s fastest marathoner in 2024 and 2025, shattered the world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
“It’s a day to remember for me,” Sawe told the BBC.
The runner-up on Sunday, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, ran 1:59:41 in his marathon debut.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo finished third in 2:00:28, also going under the previous world record.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, widely considered the best marathoner in history, ran the 26.2-mile marathon distance in 1:59:40.2 in 2019, but that did not come in a race nor in world record conditions.
“Today is a historical day for marathon running!” was posted on Kipchoge’s social media Sunday. “Seeing two athletes break the magical 2-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together.”
The men’s world record inched closer to two hours in recent years — aided by the progression of shoe technology — upping anticipation for the first sub-two marathon.
At the 2018 Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge took the record down from 2:02:57 to 2:01:39. At the 2022 Berlin Marathon, Kipchoge lowered it to 2:01:09.
Then Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023 in his third career marathon. Kiptum died in a car crash in February 2024.
Fastest Marathon Times in History
| Sabastian Sawe (KEN) | 1:59:30 | London 2026 |
| Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | 1:59:40.2 | Vienna 2019* |
| Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | 1:59:41 | London 2026 |
| Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | 2:00:25 | Monza 2017* |
| Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) | 2:00:28 | London 2026 |
| Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) | 2:00:35 | Chicago 2023 |
| Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | 2:01:09 | Berlin 2022 |
| Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) | 2:01:25 | London 2023 |
| Amos Kipruto (KEN) | 2:01:39 | London 2026 |
| Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) | 2:01:39 | Berlin 2018 |
| Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) | 2:01:41 | Berlin 2019 |
*Not an official race
In all, there were seven marathons run between 2:00:35 and 2:02:00 between 2018 and 2023.
Sawe then ran the world’s fastest marathon for 2024 (2:02:05 in his debut marathon in Valencia, Spain) and for 2025 (2:02:16 in Berlin on Sept. 21). He has run four marathons and won all of them, including London in 2025 in 2:02:27.
Sawe and five others ran the first half (13.1 miles) in 1:00:29 on Sunday. Sawe then stormed home, covering the last split (40km to 42.195km) at an average of 4:17 per mile pace (1:52 marathon pace).
Relive the last minute and change of a historic finish in London!#LondonMarathon coverage presented by Saucony pic.twitter.com/sgiibjmmNj
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) April 26, 2026
Back on Friday, Sawe gave a sheepish grin when asked if his shoes were of course record quality and could maybe deliver a world record.
On Sunday, he ate two slices of bread with honey and tea for breakfast. The two-hour barrier was not on his mind.
“I didn’t believe,” he said after Sunday’s legendary run, “but I was well prepared, and the training I’ve done, the results have come now.”
Sawe was a late starter as a professional runner. He never competed at a global championship on the track, started racing internationally on the roads at age 26 in 2022, then won the 2023 World title in the half marathon before moving up to the full distance.
“In 22 years I’ve been coaching in Kenya, I thought that I’ve seen pretty much everything,” said his coach, Claudio Berardelli, “but then Sabastian started to show me something which I thought was almost impossible.”
At 31, Sawe could still get faster.
Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele, arguably the two best distance runners in history, ran their fastest marathons at age 37.
“I believe Sabastian has not reached his peak yet,” Berardelli said.
Also Sunday, Ethiopian Tigst Assefa repeated as women’s champion in an unofficial 2:15:41, breaking her own world record for a women’s only race of 2:15:50 set in London last year.
“To repeat my victory from last year means even more,” Assefa said through an interpreter. “It was one of my plans, really, coming into this competition to break my own world record from last year’s race. So to do that brought me a lot of satisfaction.”
It’s the 15th-fastest time in history overall, behind 14 times from marathons where women raced simultaneously with men and/or had male pacers.
Assefa pulled away from Kenyan Hellen Obiri in the 385-yard finishing straight at The Mall, crossing 12 seconds ahead. Obiri is a two-time winner of both the Boston and New York City Marathons.
Another Kenyan, Joyciline Jepkosgei, was another two seconds back of Obiri. Jepkosgei was the world’s fastest female marathoner in 2025 with a 2:14:00 in Valencia in December.
The next major marathon is in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 30. Sydney made its debut as a World Marathon Major in 2025, becoming the seventh annual major.
What a close by Tigst Assefa to go back to back at the London Marathon and improving upon her Women’s Only World Reocrd in a time of 2:15:41!#LondonMarathon coverage presented by Saucony pic.twitter.com/bQnxyFxzWX
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) April 26, 2026
