In a landmark moment that has redefined the limits of human endurance in long-distance running, Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe has entered the history books as the first runner ever to complete an official marathon in under two hours. Sawe shattered the previous world record at the London Marathon, crossing the finish line with a final time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds, a result that has stunned even the runner himself.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC following his groundbreaking achievement, Sawe opened up about the unexpected nature of his win, admitting that a world record time was never his main goal heading into the race. “I was not thinking to run a world record,” he told reporters, highlighting that his focus was simply on putting forward a strong performance after a turbulent period of injury struggles.
The road to London Marathon glory was far from smooth for Sawe. In the lead-up to his historic race, the Kenyan committed to a rigorous year-long preparation regime that placed anti-doping transparency at its core. Over 12 months, Sawe underwent frequent mandatory drug testing, including 25 unannounced out-of-competition tests held before September’s Berlin Marathon, demonstrating his commitment to clean sport ahead of his record attempt.
That Berlin event, however, brought a major setback to Sawe’s career plans. During the race, he suffered a painful stress fracture in his foot, an injury that was followed by persistent back problems that threw his participation in the London Marathon into serious question just weeks before the event. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his fitness, Sawe worked through an intensive rehabilitation program to get back to race pace, ultimately defying all medical and sporting expectations to deliver the performance of a lifetime.
The breakthrough achievement comes more than a decade after elite runners first began targeting the sub-two-hour marathon barrier, a milestone widely considered to be the final frontier of men’s road running. Sawe’s official record now stands as the gold standard for the sport, cementing his place among the greatest long-distance runners in history.