Sabastian Sawe Breaks Marathon World Record, First Person Under 2 Hours
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe became the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours, finishing the London Marathon in 1:59:30 on Sunday. The 29-year-old runner broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 5 seconds.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe made history on the streets of London Sunday, becoming the first person to officially run a marathon in under two hours. The 29-year-old finished in 1:59:30, shattering the previous world record.
Sawe's time beat the record set by fellow Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, who ran 2:00:35 in 2023. Kiptum died earlier this year in a car accident. The marathon distance is 26.2 miles, one of the most grueling tests in all of sports.
Breaking the two-hour barrier has been a holy grail for distance runners, similar to how the four-minute mile once seemed impossible. While Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours in 2019, that attempt used special pacing and wasn't considered an official record.
Sawe's achievement came in ideal racing conditions at one of the world's most prestigious marathons. Kenya has dominated long-distance running for decades, producing many of the world's fastest marathoners.
This breaks one of running's biggest barriers - like the 4-minute mile was decades ago. It shows human athletic limits keep getting pushed further and could inspire more people to take up long-distance running.
Sawe will likely compete in major marathons worldwide. The next big test could be the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Was this article helpful?
0 people found this helpful