Sabastian Sawe wins London Marathon and becomes first man to run marathon under two hours
Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person in history to run a sub two-hour marathon; the time is 65 seconds quicker than the previous best, set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum in 2023; Yomif Kejelcha also dipped under the two-hour mark; Tigst Assefa retains women's title in record time
Last Updated: 26/04/26 1:15pm
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya smashed the men's world record by winning the 2026 London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday.
His incredible run wiped 35 seconds off the previous record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who set a time of 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stayed on Sawe's heels over much of the 42.195-kilometre course before fading down the final stretch to take second in his marathon debut with 1:59.41, while Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda took the bronze in 2:02.28.
"I saw the time and I was so excited," Sawe, who made a solo break in the final two kilometres as he sprinted down The Mall past Buckingham Palace, told BBC Sport.
"First of all I want to thank the crowds. They helped a lot. You feel so happy and strong and pushing.
"What comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London."
Sawe's record run - average pace required
- 1k: 2:50
- 5k: 14:10
- 10k: 28:19
- 1 mile 4:33
- Half marathon: 59:45
Assefa breaks own record to win women's title
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia retained the women's title with a time of 2:15:41 breaking her own record from last year's London Marathon.
The 29-year-old pulled away from Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei down the home stretch to cross the finish line in 2:15.41 seconds, beating the record of 2:15.50 she set last year in London.
That, however, was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
Obiri was second in 2:15.53, while Jepkosgei took the bronze in 2:15.55.
Switzerland's Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the men's and women's wheelchair events.
Hug won for the sixth consecutive year and eighth overall, while Debrunner outsprinted American Tatyana McFadden to the finish for her third consecutive win in London.
