Sabastian Sawe breaks 2-hour barrier, shatters marathon world record

Sabastian Sawe lived up to his status as a pre-race favorite at the London Marathon, and then some. The 30-year-old Kenyan shattered the world record and became the first man to complete the 26.2 miles in under 2 hours.

When Sawe crossed the finish line on the Mall in central London, the clock showed 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds — a full 65 seconds than the times set by previous record holder Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

“I am feeling good, I am so happy,” Sawe said after rewriting the record books. “It is a day to remember.”

Sawe was not the only runner to break a barrier long considered unreachable. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished only 11 seconds down to Sawe in second place; third place went to Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimi, who finished just outside the two-hour mark at 2:00:28 but would still have bested Kiptum’s former world record.

The conditions were favorable all day. Starting with temperatures in the low 50s and a tailwind over the final few miles, the stage was set for a memorable day.

Sawe and Kejelcha were part of the leading group all day, and broke clear from their four companions including Kiplimi past the halfway mark. At that point, the world record let alone the two-hour mark did not look to be in danger. However, the leading pair picked up the pace.

Sawe, who finished the second half of the race in 59:01, broke free shortly before reaching the finish line.

“I think I was well-prepared because coming to London for the second time was so important to me,” Sawe told the BBC. “And that’s why I prepared well for it. And finally, what I had done for four months, it has come today to be a good result.”

Sawe’s was not the only record-breaking performance on Sunday, though. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa finished the women’s race in 2:15:41, winning a three-up sprint to secure the victory by 12 seconds ahead of Kenyan duo Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei.