Sabastian Sawe Breaks the Two-Hour Marathon Barrier

London, England —(Map)

In the London Marathon on Sunday, Sabastian Sawe broke a long-standing barrier by finishing the race in less than two hours. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa set a new record for women, finishing the race in 2:15:41. Despite setting world records, both runners only won by seconds.

A marathon is a challenging 26.2 mile (42 kilometer) running race. Runners must be fast, but also strong enough to keep their speed up over a very long distance. Until Sunday, many people thought it was impossible for a human to run a real marathon in less than two hours.

Men’s Race
Sawe, who’s from Kenya, set a new world record with his time of 1:59:30 (1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds). It was the first time a marathon race had been finished in less than two hours. The previous record of 2:00:35 was set by Kevin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023.

Sawe started off fast, and only went faster as the race went on. On average, he ran each mile in less than 4:34, and each kilometer in less than 2:50.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, came next, just 11 seconds behind Sawe. Kejelcha had set a world record for the half marathon before, but this was his first marathon. He also broke the two-hour barrier, coming in at 1:59:41.

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda came in third, with a time of 2:00:28. His time broke Kiptum’s world record by seven seconds.

Above, the top three runners of the Men’s 2026 TCS London Marathon seen on Sunday after the race. Sawe (center) was followed by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (left), and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda (right). All three beat the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by Kevin Kiptum.

Women’s Race
Tigst Assefa set a new record for a women-only marathon, coming in with a time of 2:15:41. That was nine seconds faster than the record she set at last year’s London Marathon. Sunday’s race was a thrilling contest, with the three top runners extremely close until the end, when Assefa pulled away.

Just 12 seconds behind her were Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya, who came in second and third. It was the first time the three top racers all finished in less than 2:16.

Tigst Assefa set a new world record for a women-only marathon, coming in with a time of 2:15:41 (above). That was nine seconds faster than the record she set at last year’s London Marathon. Sunday’s race was a thrilling contest, with the three top runners extremely close until the end.

Women-only marathons are slightly slower than mixed races where men and women run together. When running against men in mixed races and using male pacers, women often run faster. The women’s record for a mixed marathon is 2:09:56. It was set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich in Chicago in 2024.

Why Was It So Fast?
London is known for being a fast race, since the course is very flat. Sunday’s weather was also perfect for racing.

Sawe, Assefa, and Kejelcha all wore Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes. These shoes are springy and super light, weighing 97 grams (0.21 pounds). That’s less than a deck of playing cards. Above, Sawe seen holding one of the shoes labeled to show his world record time.

Another important reason behind faster marathon times are the new light shoes used by high-level runners. Sawe, Assefa, and Kejelcha all wore Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3. These shoes are springy and super light, weighing 97 grams (0.21 pounds). That’s less than a deck of playing cards.

In recent years, many shoe companies have worked with athletes to improve shoes like these. That’s an advantage that runners did not have in the past.