London – Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe made history at the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first athlete to officially complete a marathon in under two hours. Sawe crossed the finish line in an astounding 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, not only breaking the elusive two-hour barrier but also slashing the previous world record by a remarkable 65 seconds.
The groundbreaking achievement was highlighted by The Wall Street Journal, which stated, > "Two men ran sub-2 hour marathons in London on Sunday, breaking that barrier for the first time in an official race. Kenyan Sabastian Sawe finished first, in 1:59:30, slashing the world record by more than a minute." This performance surpassed the previous record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
In an equally astonishing feat, Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, making his marathon debut, also finished under two hours, securing second place with a time of 1:59:41. This marked the first time two individuals have completed a competitive marathon in under two hours. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo further underscored the race's historic nature by finishing third in 2:00:28, also beating Kiptum's former world record.
Sawe, a 30-year-old Kenyan who had previously won the London Marathon in 2025 with a time of 2:02:27, demonstrated exceptional pacing, covering the second half of the race in an incredible 59 minutes and 1 second. He made his decisive move in the final miles, pulling away from Kejelcha to secure his place in history.
While Eliud Kipchoge famously ran 1:59:40.2 in an exhibition event in 2019, Sawe's performance is recognized as the first legal sub-two-hour marathon in an official, record-eligible race. His coach, Claudio Berardelli, expressed confidence in Sawe's potential, suggesting the athlete has not yet reached his peak. This landmark event is expected to inspire a new era of marathon running.
