It happened!

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya ran the first sub-2:00 marathon on a record-eligible course at this morning’s London Marathon. Sawe’s winning time of 1:59:30 not only took 1 minute and 5 seconds off Kelvin Kiptum’s previous world record, but assures that his name will be legendary for as long as marathons are run.

Perhaps even more amazing, Sawe wasn’t alone. In his first marathon, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second in 1:59:41. That time smashes the previous debut marathon record of 2:01:53, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2022.

Sawe ran the second half of the race in 59:01—a world-class time for an open half marathon.

And for good measure, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda was also under the previous world record, placing third in 2:00:28.

Pre-race talk centered primarily on whether Kiptum’s course record of 2:01:25, set in 2023, would fall. (It did, of course, and then some.) Sawe reportedly had a metatarsal stress fracture after winning Berlin last September, then missed ten days of training in December because of a back problem. Although Sawe was often pegged as the best current candidate to run an official sub-2:00, those setbacks and the London course’s fast-but-not-the-fastest reputation mostly tabled world record talk.

The pacing plan called for three rabbits, one of whom was Kiplimo’s brother Oscar Chelimo, to hit halfway in 60:30. Mission accomplished: Six men followed the pacers through that mark in 60:29.

The final pacer (Chelimo) dropped out in the 27th kilometre. Sawe made his first push in the 28th kilometre. Kejelcha, a veteran track runner who has held the indoor mile record and placed second at last year’s world championship 10 000 metres, acted on instinct and tucked in, just off of Sawe’s right shoulder. Kiplimo—who placed second to Sawe here last year in his debut—stalked two seconds back. But what at first seemed caginess by Kiplimo eventually revealed itself to be helplessness. He never rejoined the two leaders and was easily jettisoned once Sawe and Kejelcha really got going.

And get going they did. The two leaders ran 13:54 for the 5K between 30K and 35K. The projected finish time was now five seconds under Kiptum’s 2:00:35 world record from Chicago in 2023.

Then they sped up!  They passed 40K in 1:53:39, meaning that they ran the previous 5K in 13:54. The projected finish time was suddenly sub-2:00.

One key to that mythical mark falling is that there was still a race to be won. At 1:55:21 on the clock, Sawe got a small gap on Kejelcha on a slight uphill. He kept the momentum going on the ensuing downhill. Kejelcha was beaten, but not broken.

The clock read 1:58:00 as Sawe passed the 600-metres-to-go marker. Sub-2:00 was going to happen. Only then did a little strain show on Sawe’s face as he sprinted to see just how far under the barrier he could get. The answer: Thirty seconds, more than seemed possible even a kilometre earlier. Sawe ran the second half of the race in 59:01—a world-class time for an open half marathon.

It has been an astounding week in men’s elite marathoning. At last Monday’s Boston Marathon, John Korir of Kenya ran 2:01:52 to take 1 minute and 10 seconds off that race’s course record, which had stood since 2011. The second and third finishers on Monday also broke the previous Boston record. 

Today’s results are even more epochal. Counting Kenyan Amos Kipruto’s 2:01:39 for fourth place, four of the ten fastest men in history set their PRs at London 2026.

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