Sawe becomes the first man to go under two hours in a historic London Marathon

BarcelonaAthletics has seen one of the barriers that seemed impossible to overcome fall. For the first time, an athlete has run a marathon in under two hours under normal race conditions. Sabastian Sawe did it, leaving speechless everyone who was waiting at the finish line of the London Marathon, in Saint James's Park, just in front of Buckingham Palace. A titanic feat. Never before had a man run a marathon in under two hours officially, as Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge had done so in 2019 in Vienna but as part of an experiment programmed by the INEOS brand on a closed circuit. Kipchoge had had coaches, support staff, pacemakers, and all sorts of facilities to prove that running under two hours was feasible. He was right. And today, a compatriot of his has proven it.

The hero has been Sabastian Sawe, 31 years old, who won the marathon in the British capital with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. Sawe is a good marathon runner and was a favorite to win the race, but no one was prepared for a performance like this, as it was so surprisingly fast that the second-place finisher also ran under two hours. What hadn't happened in decades happened twice in a few seconds. Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, who was also making his marathon debut as he had previously run shorter distances, recorded a time of 1h59:41, keeping pace with Sawe until the final meters, when the winner produced an incredible sprint for someone who had been maintaining such a strong pace. Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, third, finished with a time of 2h00:28, also surpassing what was until then the world record, held by Kelvin Kiptum, who had run 2h 00:35 in Chicago in 2023. The top three finishers have surpassed the current world record, a surprising feat.

"It's a historic day for me, Sawe explained to the British broadcaster BBC after the victory. "The truth is I started the race very well and as we got closer to the end I felt very strong. I think my rivals helped me a lot. When I saw the time I got emotional. Everything I've worked for in recent months has transformed into a great result today," he added.

The fight against doping

Sebastián Sawe, 31, had previously achieved marathon victories, such as the one in Valencia in 2024. In his early career years, he focused on shorter distances, but three years ago he went all-in on the Marathon, achieving spectacular triumphs in 2025 in London and Berlin, a feat that led to him being chosen Male Athlete of the Year. Precisely before the 2025 Berlin race, Sawe announced a very curious initiative. Enraged by seeing how doping positives from compatriots, such as runner Ruth Chepngetich just after breaking the women's marathon world record, cast suspicion on Kenyan sports, he explained that during the two months prior to the Berlin race he would undergo 25 different anti-doping tests. All yielded negative results.

Sawe was already a respected name, but had never before gone under two hours and two minutes, which is why his record has surprised everyone, as he entered the Buckingham Palace area, surrounded by British flags, with a pace that now makes him an immortal name in athletics. He ran each kilometer with an average of 2 minutes and 50 seconds, at about 21km per hour. What is very difficult for any citizen, like running a kilometer at this pace, he did for 42 km.

In his country, the news has caused a wave of euphoria. The President of Kenya, William Ruto, posted on social media saying: "Congratulations, Sebastián Sawe, for your brilliant performance in the London Marathon. You have not only achieved a historic victory, but you have surpassed the limits of human endurance, breaking the world record and shattering the two-hour barrier with extraordinary determination. This is more than a victory; it is a defining moment. Your triumph places you among the greats of world athletics and reaffirms Kenya as a consistent powerhouse in the elite of long-distance running."

The women's world record and Marta Galimany's milestone also fall

In the women's race, the world record has also fallen. Tigst Assefa, from Ethiopia, won after breaking her own world record with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 41 seconds. The Ethiopian athlete already held, with 2:15.50 since April 27, 2025, the best universal mark in a marathon, a success also achieved in London. On this occasion, she surpassed Kenyans Hellen Obiri (2h15:53) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (2h15:55) at the finish line.

In the race, Catalan Marta Galimany has set a new Spanish record with a time of two hours, 27 minutes, and 38 seconds. Galimany, 40 years old, has surpassed the record of 2h27:53 held by Mónica Pont since January 28, 1996, in Osaka (Japan). A feat by the athlete from Valls, who finished tenth.

The temperature, around 14 or 15 degrees, greatly helped the athletes on a very fast course that reaches Buckingham Palace, as happened in the London Olympic Games. A marathon with thousands of people cheering and hundreds running, some seeking to improve their mark, others to finish, and many to help in charitable causes, drawing attention like a man who wanted to run the race carrying a 25km cooler. Another type of heroism, this one.