Kenya's Sabastian Sawe Becomes First Person to Run Marathon Under Two Hours in Competition

Apr 27, 2026

Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe, 31, made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first person to break two hours in a competitive marathon race, finishing in 1:59:30 and shattering Kelvin Kiptum's 2023 world record of 2:00:35 by over a minute. Sawe ran a remarkable negative split, covering the second half in 59:01 after going through halfway in 1:00:29, and maintained his undefeated marathon record with four wins from four starts. Fellow debutant Yomif Kejelcha also broke two hours with 1:59:41, while third-place Jacob Kiplimo ran 2:00:28, faster than the previous world record. In the women's race, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa set a new women-only field world record of 2:15:41, while Switzerland's Marcel Hug won his eighth London wheelchair title to tie David Weir's record.

Sawe's historic sub-two-hour marathon achievement

▪Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019 under controlled conditions that were not record-eligible.
▪Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds.
▪Sabastian Sawe's London Marathon time was more than one minute faster than Kelvin Kiptum's previous record of 2:00:35 set in 2023.
▪Sabastian Sawe took two minutes and 35 seconds off his marathon personal best at the London Marathon.

Performance details and race conditions

▪Sabastian Sawe ran the 35-40km stretch of the London Marathon in 13:42, averaging 2:45 per kilometre.
▪Sabastian Sawe won the 2024 London Marathon in 2:02:27.
▪Sabastian Sawe completed the second half of the London Marathon in 59:01.
▪Sabastian Sawe ran the five kilometres from 30-35km in 13:54 at the London Marathon.
▪Sabastian Sawe crossed the halfway mark of the London Marathon in 1:00:29.
▪Sabastian Sawe went through halfway in 60:16 at the Berlin Marathon in September 2024.
▪Sabastian Sawe made his decisive move before the final 10km of the London Marathon.

Other race results and records

▪Tigst Assefa improved her own world record for a women-only field by winning the London Marathon in 2:15:41.
▪Jacob Kiplimo finished third at the London Marathon in 2:00:28, faster than Kelvin Kiptum's former record.
▪Yomif Kejelcha became the second man to run under two hours in race conditions, finishing the London Marathon in 1:59:41 in his marathon debut.
▪Hellen Obiri finished second in the women's London Marathon, 12 seconds after Tigst Assefa.

Perspective of Eliud Kipchoge and supporters of his 2019 achievement

▪The distinction between Eliud Kipchoge's controlled 2019 attempt and Sabastian Sawe's competitive race highlights different approaches to breaking the two-hour barrier.