Kenya's Sebastian Sawe first to crack 2-hour marathon mark in London

Steve Gardner, USA TODAYSun, April 26, 2026 at 1:43 PM UTC

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A mark once thought untouchable in distance running has been shattered.

Kenya's Sebastian Sawe became the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours when he crossed the finish line at the London Marathon on Sunday, April 26, in 1:59:30.

Runner-up Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia also eclipsed the two-hour mark in his first marathon, crossing the finish line just 11 seconds behind Sawe. And Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda broke the previous world-record time – set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 – by seven seconds in finishing in 2:00:28.

"I am feeling good, I am happy, it's a day to remember for me," Sawe told the BBC, holding up his shoe with "world record" and "sub-2" written on it in black marker pen.

Previous attempts to break two-hour marathon mark

The sub‑two‑hour marathon has been one of sport’s biggest obsession for years, pursued through a series of highly engineered projects aimed at redefining human limits.

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Nike’s Breaking2 attempt at Monza in 2017 just fell short though Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours in INEOS’s 1:59 Challenge two years later. Yet those efforts fell outside the sport’s official record books.

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(L-R) Kenya's John Korir and Sharon Lokedi have repeated as men's and women's champions in the 2026 Boston Marathon.An estimated 30,000 racers lined the course from Hopkinton to Boston for the 130th edition of the world's oldest continuously run marathon.

Sawe's historic race on Sunday differed in its setting and its stakes, achieved in open competition on one of the world's biggest stages, turning an idea long tested in controlled conditions into a landmark moment recognized by the sport itself.

The remarkable feat comes despite the fact that Sawe was injured throughout the fall and started training properly only in January before realizing in February that he was going to be fit enough to defend his title in London.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sebastian Sawe breaks marathon world record with sub-2-hour run

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