Sebastian Sawe Breaks the 2-Hour Marathon Barrier: What This Means for Future Runners

[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young] The long-standing two-hour barrier in the marathon finally fell. Sawe (Kenya) became the first runner to officially complete a full marathon in under two hours.

Sawe covered the 42.195 km (26.22 miles) course in 1:59:30 to win the men’s race at the 2026 London Marathon on April 26 (KST).

He trimmed 1 minute and 5 seconds off the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya) in October 2023.

Sawe’s performance established a new milestone in marathon history by breaking the two-hour mark in an official race.

Eliud Kipchoge famously ran a sub-two-hour marathon in 2019, but that effort was staged under controlled conditions and was not recognized as an official world record.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41, also dipping under two hours.

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28, a time faster than the previous world record as well.

The women’s race produced a new benchmark, too. Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa set a women’s world record with a time of 2:15:41.


[Sports Today reporter Shin Seo-young sports@stoo.com]
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