Sabastian Sawe shatters history—first marathon ever run under two hours

Sabastian Sawe, the trailblazing Kenyan, made history with a record-breaking London Marathon win on April 26, 2026.

Sawe, who entered the London Marathon 2026 as the defending champion, shattered the world record by completing the race in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.

This way, the Kenyan GOAT Sawe smashed the previous world record by a breathtaking 65 seconds.

He beat Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who was competing in his debut marathon and closed the run in 1:59.41.

After smashing the men’s world record, the humming Sawe said, “It was a day to remember for me” and thanked the huge crowds who crowded the streets of the British capital to witness one of the greatest performances in a sport.

Although, the fact is, the mile has been replaced by 1,500 meters as the main four-lap race in major events like the Olympics.

But the marathon is a cornerstone of elite running, and the two-hour mark remains a nice, round number at a distance that has its roots in ancient times.

For context, Kenyan long-distance great Eliud Kipchoge did break 2 hours in 2019, but he couldn’t register his name in record books since it was a custom-designed race— the 1:59 Challenge.

The race was competed on a 6-mile track, where Kipchoge finished in 1:59.40.

On Sunday’s sunny London morning, Sawe beat that time by 10 seconds on one of the world’s flat-terrain marathon courses.