Sabastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon on Sunday, crossing the finish line in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds to become the first person to run an official marathon in under two hours. The 31-year-old Kenyan shattered the previous world record of 2:00.35 set by compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, and his time was also 10 seconds faster than Eliud Kipchoge's unofficial best set in Vienna in 2019.
The feat drew comparisons with Sir Roger Bannister's sub-four-minute mile in 1954 and Usain Bolt's 100m world record of 9.58 seconds. Sawe's performance was described as 'an act of serene beauty and supreme destruction', with the Kenyan running the second half of the race in just over 59 minutes. His pace equated to running 100 metres in under 17 seconds for 26.2 miles.
Sawe went through halfway in 60 minutes and 29 seconds, but accelerated in the latter stages, covering 5km between 30 and 35 kilometres in 13:54 alongside Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, and then an astonishing 13:42 for kilometres 35 to 40 – two seconds faster than the 5km parkrun world record. Kejelcha finished 11 seconds back in his debut marathon, while Jacob Kiplimo ran 2:00:28, both also under Kiptum's old world time.
Sawe's journey to the record is nearly as remarkable. He grew up in a remote Kenyan village in a house with mud walls and no electricity, and was so shy he often hid in the school kitchen before races. A teacher, Julius Kemei, forced him to compete, telling him: 'Running is not just talent, it's your fortune, and your future.' It was not until his mid-20s, when he joined the 2Running group led by Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, that his career took off.
Questions of doping naturally surround such a record, given Kenya's chequered history. However, Sawe's sponsors, Adidas, have paid the Athletics Integrity Unit $50,000 to test him as many times as possible this year, aiming to show he is clean. Berardelli attributed 90% of the achievement to Sawe himself, saying: 'Thank God, he didn't give up.'
