Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe has shattered the marathon’s two-hour barrier, winning the 2026 London Marathon in a historic 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
Sawe’s time on Sunday, April 26, 2026, bettered the previous world record of 2 hours, 0 minutes and 35 seconds set by Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon by 1 minute and 5 seconds.
The victory made Sawe the first athlete in history to run the official 26.2-mile distance under two hours, a milestone long considered the ultimate goal in distance running.
He maintained a steady pace from the start, passing the 5-kilometer mark in 14 minutes and 14 seconds with the lead group and reaching the halfway point in 1 hour and 29 seconds.
Sawe and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha broke away from the pack at the 30-kilometer mark, setting up a two-man duel for the victory.
With approximately 1.1 miles remaining, Sawe surged ahead, dropping Kejelcha and sealing his place in history.
Kejelcha finished second in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 41 seconds, becoming the second person to break the two-hour barrier.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo took third place in 2 hours, 0 minutes and 28 seconds, also faster than the previous world record.
In the women’s race, Assefa set a fresh world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.
