Kenya's Sebastian Sawe first to crack 2-hour marathon mark in London
In a record-smashing London Marathon, Sebastian Sawe of Kenya crossed the finish line in 1:59:30 as top three finishers break previous world record.
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. pic.
twitter. com/bSsTec0zAd — media sport (@sportnmedia2) April 26, 2026 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. 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. FASTEST MARATHONS OF ALL TIME: Will Boston see 2-hour mark fall in 2027? 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.