Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe has become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. The 30-year-old achieved the milestone by winning the London Marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds on Sunday, covering 26.2 miles (42.2 km).
His time was 65 seconds faster than the mark set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023, and 10 seconds quicker than Eliud Kipchoge’s 2019 Vienna finish — a run not recognized as an official record because it took place outside open competition and involved pacemakers.
There was also a record in the women’s race. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa defended her title in 2 hours 15 minutes 41 seconds, the fastest time ever in a women’s-only race, after pulling away in the final 500 meters. Her time was 16 seconds slower than the overall course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 in a mixed race.
In the wheelchair events, Switzerland completed a double: Marcel Hug won a sixth straight men’s title and his eighth overall, while Catherine Debrunner narrowly beat Tatyana McFadden to retain the women’s crown.
Edited by Sean Sinico