Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person in history to run a sub two-hour marathon; the time is 65 seconds quicker than the previous best, set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in 2023; Yomif Kejelcha also dipped under the two-hour mark; Tigst Assefa retains women’s title in record time
Last Updated: 28/04/26 11:40am
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person ever to run an official marathon in under two hours, after winning the London Marathon
Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person ever to run an official marathon in under two hours, after winning the London Marathon
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya smashed the men’s world record by winning the 2026 London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday.
His incredible run wiped 35 seconds off the previous record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who set a time of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe’s heels over much of the 42.195-kilometre course before fading down the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59.41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze in 2:02.28.
“For the new generation (it shows) to run a record is possible,” Sawe, who made a solo break in the final two kilometres as he sprinted down The Mall past Buckingham Palace.
“Everything is possible with a matter of time. I was ready today. I was well-prepared for the London Marathon and for today’s results. I’m so happy because I had a lot of courage to push, even when the pace was fast.”
Kejelcha was full of praise for Sawe’s mission to prove his races are clean, which included taking 25 extra voluntary drug tests before winning the Berlin Marathon.
Kejelcha added: “It’s very important for clean sport. Maybe I, for the future, will do the same thing. I think it’s a great idea.”
- 1k: 2:50
- 5k: 14:10
- 10k: 28:19
- 1 mile 4:33
- Half marathon: 59:45
‘The goalposts have moved for marathon running’
Breaking two hours in a marathon has been a long time coming.
Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan long-distance great, in fact achieved the feat in Vienna in 2019, but in a specially tailored race called the “1.59 Challenge” that was arranged by British billionaire and now Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe in favourable conditions on a six-mile circuit using rotating pacemakers.
That meant it was not classed as an official race setting, so Kipchoge’s time of 1:59:40 did not go in the record book.
Sawe went on to surpass that time by 10 seconds on a mostly flat course across London in dry, sunny conditions.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Former 1500m world record holder Steve Cram explains how Sabastian Sawe was able to break the marathon world record in under two hours and backs the Kenya to go even faster!!
“The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running,” former London marathon winner Paula Radcliffe said during commentary of the race for the BBC.
At the turn of the century, the world’s best time for the men’s marathon was 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999.
Khannouchi broke his own record by four seconds in 2002 – the last time the fastest men’s marathon was run in London – and it has been whittled down gradually over the last 24 years by a succession of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Kipchoge and, most recently, Kiptum.
Assefa breaks own record to win women’s title
Tigst Assefa celebrates after winning the women’s elite race at the 2026 London Marathon
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia retained the women’s title with a time of 2:15:41 breaking her own record from last year’s London Marathon.
The 29-year-old pulled away from Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei down the home stretch to cross the finish line in 2:15.41 seconds, beating the record of 2:15.50 she set last year in London.
That, however, was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
Obiri was second in 2:15.53, while Jepkosgei took the bronze in 2:15.55.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the men’s and women’s wheelchair events.
Hug won for the sixth consecutive year and eighth overall, while Debrunner outsprinted American Tatyana McFadden to the finish for her third consecutive win in London.
