130-year marathon barrier broken twice in 11 seconds at 2026 London Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge, the legend who once stood alone, had already seen it coming.

“Sabastian Sawe will break the world record and run under two hours. He just needs time and the right development, but he’s ready,” Kipchoge said. At the time, he was the only man to ever run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59:49 in Vienna in 2019, a performance not ratified by World Athletics.

Now, he is no longer alone.

On April 26, 2026, Sawe, a 31-year-old Kenyan phenom, made history at the 2026 London Marathon. He ran 1:59:30, averaging roughly 4 minutes 35 seconds per mile, shattering the previous official world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 by more than a minute.

Kiptum had become the first man to break 2:01 in an official race. Sawe has now gone even further, breaking one of sport’s most iconic and long-standing barriers, completing the 26.2-mile distance in under two hours.

A race for the ages

Sawe’s achievement did not happen in isolation. It was fueled by a thrilling duel with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who crossed the line in 1:59:41, an extraordinary performance in its own right.

Since the first organized marathon at the 1896 Olympics, no man had ever broken the two-hour barrier. On Sunday, two did so in the space of just 11 seconds.

The depth of the race was just as remarkable. Uganda’s Jakob Kiplimo, an Olympic and world championship medalist in the 10,000 meters, finished third in 2:00:28, a time that would have been a world record on any other day.

Sawe’s splits told the story of a perfectly executed run. He reached 5 kilometers in 14:14, 10K in 28:34, and halfway in 1:00:29. From there, he never faded, passing 30K in 1:26:30 and 40K in 1:53:39 before closing out the historic finish in 1:59:30.

From promise to greatness

Sawe had already signaled his potential with major victories in recent years.

He won the 2024 Valencia Marathon, calling it “the happiest moment of my life,” and followed it up with a dominant performance in London in 2025, where he surged late to win in 2:02:27.

Although he was already a world champion in the half marathon, it became increasingly clear that the full marathon was his true stage. Now, he has delivered one of the greatest feats in the history of sports.

Assefa sets the pace in women’s race

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa, 29, claimed victory in 2:15:41, setting a new world best for a women-only marathon.

Her performance added another layer of brilliance to a day that will be remembered as a turning point in distance running.

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