Sawe smashes 2-hour mark setting record at London Marathon

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has made history in London as the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. He beat the world record by more than a minute.

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours.

The 31-year-old set the milestone by winning the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday, breaking the previous record.

The time for the 26.2 miles (42.2km) distance was 65 seconds faster than the mark set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023.

It was also 10 seconds quicker than Eliud Kipchoge's time from 2019 in Vienna. That finish was not recognized as an official record because it was not in open competition and the Kenyan was assisted by pacemakers.

 "I think I’ve made history today in London, and for the new generation (it shows) to run a record is possible," said Sawe.

Sawe keen to prove he is running clean

"It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had, so for me I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible."

Sawe has made it his mission to prove that he's running without performance-enhancing drugs and approached the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) to volunteer him for a strict regime of extra drug tests, all unannounced. He has passed them all. 

The man who finished 11 seconds behind Sawe in second place, Yomif Kejelcha, said such action was inspirational.  "It’s very important for clean sport," he said. "Maybe I, for the future, will do the same thing. I think it’s a great idea," the Ethiopian said.

Another record set in women's race

There was also record-breaking performance in the women's race, where Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa defended her title in 2 hours 15 minutes and 41 seconds — the fastest time ever in a women’s-only race. Assefa had pulled ahead in the final 500 meters.

"I’ve been working on my speed, and today I showed how fast I could finish, and that’s why today was a very special win for me," Assefa said.

"When I finished the race and found out Sabastian had broken the world record and gone under two hours I was so, so happy for him.

"To break world records requires a lot of work, and I want to congratulate him on his wonderful achievement."

The mark was 16 seconds slower than the overall course record set by Briton Paula Radcliffe in 2003 in a mixed race.

In the wheelchair events, Switzerland secured a double as Marcel Hug claimed a sixth straight men's title and eighth overall, while Catherine Debrunner edged out Tatyana McFadden to retain the women's crown.

Edited by Sean Sinico