On April 26, 2026, Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe became the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours during an official, record-eligible competition. Winning the 2026 London Marathon, Sawe clocked an extraordinary time of 1:59:30, shattering the previous world record by 65 seconds. The race was unprecedented, with the top three finishers all surpassing the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

Sawe pulled away from Kejelcha after the 30km mark and made a decisive solo break in the final 2km, sprinting down The Mall to secure his place in history. He ran the second half of the race in a blistering 59:01, faster than his first half of 1:00:29.While Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in 2019, that was an unofficial exhibition (the INEOS 1:59 Challenge) with rotating pacemakers. Sawe’s time is the first achieved under standard race conditions.Sawe wore the new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, which weighs just 97 grams—lighter than a newborn kitten.

Sawe on overcoming critical journey setback

Just four months before crossing the finish line in London, Sabastian Sawe’s record-breaking dreams were nearly derailed by a severe stress fracture in his lower leg.In January 2026, during a high-altitude training block in Iten, Kenya, Sawe felt a sharp pain that brought his running to a complete halt.Doctors ordered total rest, fearing that pushing through would lead to a permanent break.Sawe admitted in post-race interviews that he spent weeks in "dark places," doubting if he would even make the London start line, let alone win it.

"In January, the pain was so sharp I couldn't walk to the dining hall. When the doctors told me it was a stress injury, I cried. I thought my year was over before the first race.”

Unable to run, Sawe spent his recovery period engaged in grueling non-impact training.He spent hours daily in the pool to maintain cardiovascular capacity without putting weight on his leg.He didn’t return to the pavement until late February, leaving him with a condensed 8-week "crash course" training block instead of the standard 16 weeks.