Sabastian Sawe breaks world record at the London Marathon. Kenyan becomes 1st person to run a marathon in under 2 hours. [View all]

Kenyan athlete beats two-hour world record

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/marathon-2026-today-live-latest-news-x09cclzz2

https://archive.ph/DymG0


Sabastian Sawe crosses the finish line
Matthew Childs/Reuters

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/marathon-2026-today-live-latest-news-x09cclzz2#bd94f806-d1c7-4f78-9ff1-9de3f7f25e64


Sabastian Sawe won the men’s elite race
Karwai Tang

Sabastian Sawe has become the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours, setting a world record of 1hr 59min 30sec in front of cheering crowds on the Mall. The 30-year-old Kenyan has been considered the leading marathon runner in the world over the past year and won the London race last year, but that was in a time that was nearly three minutes slower than today’s record.

Breaking the two-hour barrier has been one of the most notable targets in athletics, but the closest anyone had come was in 2023 when another Kenyan, Kelvin Kiptum, set a world record of 2:00:35 that stood until Sawe’s historic run today.

Second runner beats two-hour marathon

Sabastian Sawe was not the only runner in London to beat the two-hour barrier — Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second in a time of 1:59:41. The third-placed athlete, Jacob Kiplimo, of Uganda, recorded a time just over two hours (2:00:28) that would have been a world record before today’s race.

Sawe’s time was faster even than the one recorded by the distance running icon Eliud Kipchoge in 2019 but that was not a world record because Kipchoge was not competing in an open race and was aided by a team of rotating pacemakers and had hydration delivered by bicycle.


Sabastian Sawe, centre, Yomif Kejelcha, left and Jacob Kiplimo
John Walton/PA

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