NAIROBI, Kenya — When the aircraft carrying Sabastian Sawe, the first marathon runner in history to crack the iconic two-hour mark, touched down at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Wednesday, Kenya rolled out a celebratory welcome fit for a national hero, opening with a dramatic water cannon salute to greet the plane carrying its newly-minted sporting legend.
Sawe, who etched his name into the record books at Sunday’s London Marathon with a winning time of 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, was greeted on the tarmac by his proud parents and Kenyan Sports Minister Salim Mvurya. Mvurya lauded the athlete’s unprecedented achievement, framing the historic milestone as a triumph for the entire East African nation long renowned for producing world-class distance runners.
This 30-second break below the once-unthinkable two-hour threshold smashed the previous men’s marathon world record by a staggering 65 seconds, a gap rarely seen in modern elite distance running. Before stepping off the plane, Sawe told the Associated Press he felt immense pride in pulling off what many in the sport had viewed as an impossible feat for generations. Far from resting on his laurels, the 2024 Valencia Marathon champion already has his sights set on more progress: he says he plans to push his limits even further to shave additional time off his own new record.
Following his disembarkation, Sawe was adorned with a traditional handcrafted victory wreath woven from local twigs, a cultural honor marking his historic win. A troupe of traditional Kenyan dancers performed in his honor, singing songs celebrating his breakthrough before he entered a waiting luxury government vehicle for the procession into the city. Mvurya confirmed that the country will continue its celebrations with a formal national honoring event for Sawe on Thursday.
In interviews with the AP, Sawe’s family opened up about seeing his natural running talent from his earliest childhood. His mother Emily Sawe recalled even noticing his unusual speed decades ago, when he would sprint around during childhood bath time. “He would run too fast. So, I would say to myself, this boy will shine for me one day,” she shared.
His father, Simion Kiplagat Sawe, watched the historic London Marathon at his brother’s home, as his own television did not have a clear enough signal to broadcast the race live. He told reporters he was so overcome with emotion when his son pulled into the lead that he stepped outside before the finish line, and only watched the winning moment on a replay after the race. “I was so happy, extremely happy. We screamed so much that now it is hard to swallow anything,” he said.
Sawe’s path to professional running began thanks to his uncle, Abraham Chepkirwok, an elite athlete who represented Uganda in the 800-meter event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Before making history in London, Sawe already notched a major win at the 2024 Valencia Marathon, where he finished with a time of 2:02:05, and entered Sunday’s London race as the defending champion. His father echoed Sawe’s own drive for continued improvement, noting that the athlete’s disciplined and determined mindset has been key to his success. “Even now, he still says that record was not enough; he wants to lower it further,” his father said.