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Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour marathon barrier at London Marathon 2026

3 hours ago4 articles from 2 sources

Consensus Summary

Sabastian Sawe made history at the 2026 London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in an official race, finishing in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. His time surpassed Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record of 2:00:35, set in 2023, by 65 seconds. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second in 1:59:41, also breaking the record, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took third. The women’s race saw Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia defend her title with a time of 2:15:41, setting a women’s-only world record. The race was marked by exceptional performances, with six men finishing under the previous world record. Weather conditions were ideal, with a gentle tailwind aiding the runners in the final miles. Sawe attributed his success to preparation, crowd support, and the use of Adidas’s lightweight Adios Pro 3 supershoes. The event also highlighted the dominance of Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner in the wheelchair divisions, with Hug winning his eighth London Marathon overall.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Sabastian Sawe ran 26.2 miles in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, breaking the two-hour marathon barrier in an official race at the 2026 London Marathon.
  • Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second in 1:59:41, also breaking the previous world record time of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
  • Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finished third in 2:00:28 (Guardian) or 2:02:28 (ABC).
  • Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:15:41, setting a women’s-only world record (Guardian) or 2:15.4 (ABC).
  • Hellen Obiri of Kenya finished second in the women’s race in 2:15:53 (ABC) or 12 seconds behind Assefa (Guardian).
  • Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race for the sixth consecutive year and eighth overall.
  • Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women’s wheelchair race, outsprinting Tatyana McFadden.
  • The previous men’s world record of 2:00:35 was set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023 (Chicago Marathon).
  • Sabastian Sawe wore Adidas Adios Pro 3 supershoes weighing 97 grams (Guardian) or unspecified (ABC).
  • The race took place on April 26, 2026, in London.

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

The Guardian
  • Sawe’s team insisted he was helped by the Adidas Adios Pro 3 supershoes, which weigh 97 grams and retail for about ÂŁ450.
  • Sawe’s second half of the race was 59:01, and his overall time was 10 seconds faster than Eliud Kipchoge’s unofficial 2019 Vienna marathon time.
  • Sawe was tested 25 times before the 2025 Berlin Marathon by Adidas to prove he was clean, with isotope ratio mass spectrometry used.
  • The weather was 11 degrees Celsius, sunny, and had a gentle tailwind over the final miles.
  • Sawe and Kejelcha ran a 5km segment between 30-35km in 13:54, just 12 seconds slower than the world record for a 5km parkrun.
  • Joyciline Jepkosgei finished third in the women’s race in 2:15:55 (Guardian) or 2:15:55 (ABC, but Guardian says 2:15:41 for Assefa).
  • The women’s race was a three-way sprint down the Mall, with Assefa defending her title.
  • Sawe’s time was 65 seconds faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s previous best set in 2023.
  • Sawe’s team had a similar testing protocol in place for London, though he was not tested as many times as in Berlin.
  • The elite men’s race hit the 10km mark in 28:25, under world-record pace, and halfway in 60:29, 12 seconds down.
ABC News
  • Kiptum died in a car crash in Kenya in 2024 at age 24.
  • Sawe is 31 years old and has never lost a marathon.
  • Kiptum’s previous world record was set at the Chicago Marathon in October 2023.
  • Assefa’s time was 2:15.4, beating her own record of 2:15.50 set in 2025 London.

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • The Guardian reports Jacob Kiplimo finished third in 2:00:28, while ABC reports 2:02:28.
  • The Guardian states Joyciline Jepkosgei finished third in 2:15:55, but ABC does not specify her time, only that she was third.
  • The Guardian says Sawe’s second half was 59:01, while ABC does not mention this detail.
  • The Guardian reports Sawe’s time was 10 seconds faster than Eliud Kipchoge’s unofficial 2019 Vienna marathon time, but ABC does not mention this comparison.

Source Articles

GUARDIAN

Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon

Kenyan wins men’s race in 1hr 59mins 30secs Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa defends her women’s title They call Sabastian Sawe the silent assassin. But it was impossible to ignore the beautiful destruction on the streets of London as the 30-year-old Kenyan became the first athlete to shatter the two-hour barrier in an official race. As Sawe crossed the line on the Mall, the clock showed that he had run 26.2 miles in a staggering 1 hour, 59mins and 30 seconds – 65 seconds faster than the previous best s

4 hours ago
GUARDIAN

London Marathon 2026: Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier and world record – as it happened

Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa retained their crowns and broke records. Marcel Hug secured his eighth win in London while Catherine Debrunner claimed her fourth with a sprint finish Elite women’s race: Hellen Obiri is hoping to challenge Tigst Assefa, with the Kenyan making her London debut after consistently racing in New York and Boston, where they do not use pacers. Elite women’s race: The women’s elite are being introduced on the start line. Tigst Assefa beat the world women’s-only marathon

6 hours ago
GUARDIAN

‘Silent assassin’ Sabastian Sawe targets world record with supershoe in London Marathon

Kenyan taking part in only his fifth career marathon Jacob Kiplimo and Tamirat Tola among his main rivals They call Sabastian Sawe the silent assassin. And, whisper it, but the Kenyan may just take down the men’s world marathon record in London on Sunday. It is an imposing target, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, which stands at two hours and 35 seconds. But Sawe believes he is in similar shape to when he went for the world record in Berlin last September, only to be thwarted by temperatures in the

Yesterday
ABC

Two-hour barrier smashed twice in history-making London Marathon

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe has become the first man to run a marathon in under two hours, winning the London Marathon with a time of 1:59:30.

4 hours ago