Sabastian Sawe Makes History Running Sub-2 Hour London Marathon, Reacts to Record in New Video

Welcome to the history books, Sabastian Sawe.

The Kenyan runner became the first person in history to complete a marathon in under two hours in race conditions on Sunday when he did so in the 2026 London Marathon. Incredibly, he wasn't even the only one to do so, as Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha finished in second place and just 11 seconds behind Sawe's mark of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, per the Associated Press.

"I'm so happy. … I'm so excited," Sawe said after the race. "… It means a lot to me and my family. And also, to my country, it shows that my country produced great talents and they are now getting what results have come today."

He also said, "what comes today is not for me alone, but for all of us today in London," per the AP.

Sawe's historic accomplishment earned him prize money as well as the car of his choice, courtesy of Kenya's president William Ruto:

Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum set the previous men's world record time in Chicago in 2023, but Sawe surpassed it by more than a full minute at 65 seconds. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo, who finished in third place in Sunday's race, also surpassed the previous record.

As for Kejelcha, he was running in his first-ever marathon and was able to accomplish the incredible sub-two-hour mark.

It was Sawe who won, though, which meant he retained his title from London. He said the crowds that line the streets in the city "help a lot because if it was not for them, you don't feel like you are so loved."

The AP noted finishing a marathon was done before in 2019 when Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge did so. However, Kipchoge was running in the "1.59 Challenge," which was a tailored race arranged in ideal conditions on a six-mile circuit with rotating pacemakers. 

It was not classified as official race conditions or an official race setting, so the 1:59:40 mark did not go in the record books.

Sawe's did on Sunday, cementing his place in the sport's history.

There was also a record in the women's race, as Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa finished in 2:15:41. Not only did she defend her title, she set the record as the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon, per the AP.