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Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe etched his name in history books after becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours, clocking a remarkable 1:59:30 to win the London Marathon on Sunday.
The 30-year-old, who remains unbeaten in marathon races since his 2024 debut, made a decisive move at the 35km mark. Only Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha attempted to keep pace, but Sawe ultimately pulled away to secure the historic victory.
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In doing so, Sawe shaved over a minute off the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023. It also marked the first time in 24 years that a world record has been set on the London Marathon course.
Kejelcha also delivered an outstanding performance, finishing second in 1:59:41—a national record and the fastest marathon debut ever, making him the second-fastest man in history.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo came in third with a national record time of 2:00:28. Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, finished fourth with a personal best of 2:01:39.
Although Eliud Kipchoge famously ran a sub-two-hour marathon in 2019, that feat was not officially recognized as a world record due to controlled race conditions.
Sawe had been on record pace early, hitting the halfway point in 1:00:29 before accelerating further in the second half. Ideal weather conditions in London played a key role after a previous record attempt in Berlin was thwarted by heat.
The race’s turning point came between 30km and 35km, when Sawe and Kejelcha broke away from the pack with blistering splits. In the final stretch, Sawe surged ahead in the last mile, sprinting solo to the finish along The Mall to seal a truly historic performance.
