A Kenyan Rewrites History as the Marathon Clock Falls Below Two Hours Sunday's TCS London Marathon will be spoken of for generations. Sabastian Sawe, a 31-year-old runner from Kenya, streaked across the finish line of the TCS London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, the first time any athlete has completed 26.2 miles under the two-hour mark in a fully sanctioned race.
The achievement drew instant comparisons to Roger Bannister's 1954 sub-four-minute mile: it was being called "the four-minute mile of marathon running," and made all the more extraordinary given Sawe had suffered an injury in January and only resumed proper training in February.
His time knocked a full 65 seconds off the previous world record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, and was 10 seconds quicker than Eliud Kipchoge's celebrated 1:59:41 exhibition run in 2019, an effort that required revolving pacers and controlled conditions. Sawe achieved his feat under full competitive race rules.
Sawe's finish shattered the previous world record — held by the late Kelvin Kiptum — by a full 35 seconds. Kiptum had set his mark of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Sawe told reporters after the finish: "Everything is possible with a matter of time. I was ready today. I was well-prepared for the London Marathon. I'm so happy because I had a lot of courage to push, even when the pace was fast."
The men's race was not the only chapter of history written on Sunday. Tigst Assefa, the defending women's champion, crossed the line in 2:15:41, shaving nine seconds from her own women-only world record and completing a remarkable title defence.
Source: worldathleticsLondon Marathon Events
