World Marathon Record Holder Sabastian Sawe./SCREENGRABSabastian Kimaru Sawe. Remember the name.
The 30-year-old from Kenya has just done what no one had before.
Sawe won in London on his debut last year and now has four wins from his four races over 26.2 miles.
The Kenyan crossed the line to win in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, more than one minute faster than the late Kelvin Kiptum's previous record of 2:00:35, set in 2023.
The great Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019, but that was not record-eligible, as it was held under controlled conditions.
Sawe delivered a jaw-dropping performance on Sunday, storming into the history books as the first man to dip under the two-hour mark in a marathon on the streets of London.
Sawe unleashed a strong finishing kick to breast the tape in 1:59:30, obliterating the previous men’s mark of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon 2023.
In a race that redefined the limits of endurance, Sawe broke away with authority, leaving a stacked elite field trailing in his wake. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha settled for second place in 1:59:41 while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo clocked 2:00:28 to round off the podium.
Born on March 16, 1996, Sawe had long signaled his intent to attack the marathon’s ultimate frontier. His trajectory has been nothing short of meteoric.
Sawe trains at altitude in western Kenya—living in a shared room at camp and only seeing his wife and son twice a month. He was born nearby in a remote highland village without electricity.
His running journey was nurtured by both his uncle, Abraham Chepkirwok, who competed in the 800m for Uganda at the 2008 Olympics, and a teacher who told him: “Running is not just talent – it’s your fortune and your future.”
On his debut over the classic distance at the Valencia Marathon 2024, he surged to victory in a world-leading 2:02:05, the second-fastest debut in history. Only Kiptum had gone quicker in his debut, clocking 2:01:53 on the same course in 2022.
Sawe carried that momentum into the London Marathon 2025, where he once again asserted his dominance, clinching victory in 2:02:27. That race saw him comfortably dispatch Kiplimo (2:03:37) and fellow Kenyan Alexander Munyao (2:04:20). He then set his sights on Berlin in September 2025, launching a bold assault on the world record at the Berlin Marathon 2025. Though he fell short of the mark, Sawe still powered to victory in 2:02:16.
In the lead-up to that Berlin bid, Sawe took extraordinary steps to safeguard his credibility amid heightened scrutiny on Kenyan athletics. In response to doping violations by other athletes, he underwent an unprecedented 25 out-of-competition tests conducted by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
His sponsor, Adidas, further backed the initiative, contributing $50,000 (Sh6.7 million) to fund his enhanced, independent testing programme, a powerful statement of transparency and trust. Before conquering the marathon, Sawe had meticulously built his credentials on the road circuit.
In March 2022, he lit up the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon with a course record of 58:02, announcing his arrival among the world’s elite. Later that year, he etched his name into the record books at the Memorial Van Damme, setting a Kenyan national record in the one-hour run with a distance of 21,250 metres, narrowly close to the world record of 21,330 metres set by Britain’s Mo Farah in 2020.
The one-hour run is an athletics event in which competitors try to cover as much distance as possible within one hour. While officially recognized by World Athletics as a track event, it is rarely contested apart from occasional world record attempts. He also claimed victory at the Bahrain Royal Night Half Marathon 2022 in 58:58, further cementing his status as a road-running powerhouse.
Sawe’s versatility extended to the cross-country scene, where he finished seventh at the World Cross Country Championships 2023 in Bathurst, Australia, clocking 30:04. He claimed global gold at the World Half Marathon Championships in Riga, Latvia, storming to a 59:10 finish to orchestrate a Kenyan podium sweep.
Daniel Ebenyo placed second in 59:14 with Samwel Mailu third timing 59:19. He capped off 2023 with another title to his growing collection, winning the Montferland Run 15km in ’s-Heerenberg in 42:35, before slicing his personal best to 58:05 at the Copenhagen Half Marathon 2024.
Outside the roads, Sawe also won the World Athletics male out-of-stadium athlete of the year award after his strong 2025 season.
Comments 0
Sign in to join the conversation
Sign In Create AccountNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!