Sabastian Sawe shatters 2-hour barrier to win London Marathon

Field Level Media|published: Sun 26th April, 11:43 2026

Apr 23, 2023; London, UK; Participants of the London Marathon seen in the finish area after completing the race. Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe became the first runner to complete an official marathon in less than two hours as he broke the world record at the London Marathon on Sunday.

On a calm, sunny morning, the 31-year-old finished the marathon in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. That crushed the previous record -- set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in the 2023 Chicago Marathon -- by 65 seconds.

"I am feeling good," Sawe told BBC Sport. "I am happy. It is a day to remember for me."

Not only did Sawe blast through a psychological and physiological barrier akin to the four-minute mile, he set the pace for Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha to go under two hours as well. Kejelcha finished in 1:59.41.

"We started the race well and approaching the end of the race, I was feeling strong and I remember (Kejelcha) was so competitive," Sawe said. "I think he helped me a lot. Finally, reaching the finish line, I saw the time. I was so excited."

Pushed by Kejelcha, Sawe ran a reverse split to defend his London Marathon title. After reaching the halfway point in 1:00.29, he needed just 59:01 to complete his second 13.1 miles.

Sawe wasn't the only racer to set a world record in London on Sunday. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa needed just 2:15.41 to break the tape, which placed her in the record books -- again -- for a marathon run only by women. Last year in London, she ran the marathon in a record 2:15:50.

--Field Level Media

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