NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Sabastian Sawe broke a track for history in under 2 hours on Sunday at the London Marathon.
The Kenyan runner won the London Marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, smashing the previous men’s world record by 65 seconds.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Sebastian Sawe of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the men’s race at the London Marathon in London on April 26, 2026. (Ian Walton/AP)
“What comes today is not for me alone, but for all of us today in London,” Sawe said.
The long-distance runner is a decorated athlete with victories in the 2025 London Marathon and 2025 Berlin Marathon. He won the 2023 Riga Half Marathon and the 2023 World Cross Country Championships in Bathurst.
He added that Sunday was a “day to remember” and credited the big crowds in London with helping to give him the extra boost he needed to keep up the world record pace.
“I think they help a lot,” he said, “because if it wasn’t for them, you don’t feel like you’re so loved … when they call, you feel so happy and strong.”
Sabastian Sawe of Team Kenya poses with Yomif Kejelcha of Team Ethiopia and Jacob Kiplimo of Team Uganda at the presentation ceremony after the men’s 2026 TCS London Marathon in London, England, on April 26, 2026. (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also finished the course in under 2 hours, but only 11 seconds behind Sawe. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo finished behind them in 2 hours and 28 seconds.
The two-hour barrier had been broken earlier, albeit unofficially.
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge completed the feat in Vienna in 2019 in a race called the “1.59 Challenge”. The event was organized by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe in favored conditions on a 6-mile circuit and used rotary pacemakers.
Kipchoge’s time was 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.
Sebastian Sawe of Kenya celebrates winning the men’s race at the London Marathon in London on April 26, 2026. (Ian Walton/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
“The goalposts have literally just moved for marathons,” former London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe said on the BBC’s broadcast.
