Kenya's Sabastian Sawe becomes first person to run marathon in less than two hours

Published on 26/04/2026 - 14:13 GMT+2

In a first in sports history, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya became the first ever person to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon.

He broke the men's world crecord by 65 seconds and won the race with a time of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.

The second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiophia, also finished the race in less than two hours with a time of 1:59:41. It was his first ever marathon. Third-placed Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda also broke the previous world-record time - set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 - by seven seconds after finishing in 2:00:28.

The winner pulled clear with Kejelcha after 30 kilometers, before then making his solo break in the final two kilometers as he sprinted along the finish on The Mall.

The 29-year-old Sawe, who also won the London Marathon last year, said after the race that “What comes today is not for me alone," but "for all of us today in London.”

Assefa wins fastest ever women's-only marathon

A record was also set in the women's race, with Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 to defend her title in the fastest-ever time in a women’s-only marathon.

Hellen Obiri was a close second with 2:15:53, and Joyciline Jepkosgei finished just behind her in 2:15:55.

Assefa already held the record in the women's event from the marathon's 2025 edition, where she ended the race in 2:15:50. Her time this year, however, was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.

Swiss dominate wheelchair races

In the wheelchair races, Switzerland's Marcel Hug won his sixth straight men's title - and eighth in total. His compatriot Catherine Debrunner beat Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend her title.