Sawe breaks two‑hour barrier as Assefa smashes women‑only record

Sebastian Sawe enters history books

Kenyan speedster Sabastian Sawe produced a performance that will be etched in the archives of distance running on Sunday, breaking the two‑hour marathon barrier en route to victory at the TCS London Marathon. In front of a packed, sun‑drenched course, Sawe clocked 1:59:30, erasing the previous men’s world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023.

Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, running his debut marathon, also dipped under two hours with 1:59:41, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo finished third in 2:00:28, meaning all three men beat Kiptum’s old mark. Sawe, wearing Adidas’s ultra‑lightweight Pro Evo 3 “supershoe” (under 100 grams per shoe), had predicted a world‑record tilt after staying with the lead pack through halfway in 1:00:29 before surging clear of Kejelcha in the closing miles.

“This was my plan coming to London for the second time,” Sawe said immediately after crossing the line. “I was very prepared, and when I saw the clock show 1:59 I was so excited—this is a world record.”

Sub‑two‑hour breakthrough in context

Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019, becoming the first human to break two hours in a marathon‑distance effort, but that time was not ratified as an official world record because the event used special pacing, non‑standard fluids support and bespoke footwear. The Vienna run was also a controlled, non‑open event, outside the framework of World Athletics’ record‑eligible races. In contrast, Sawe’s 1:59:30 comes from an open, World Athletics‑label marathon with standard rules, making it the first officially recognised sub‑two‑hour marathon in history.

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Officials and commentators have begun describing the moment as a turning point comparable to the historic sub‑four‑minute mile, accelerating the conversation about how low the marathon world record can realistically go with advances in shoes, training, and race‑pacing tactics.

Assefa lights up women’s race

On the women’s side, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa underlined her status as the dominant marathon runner of the era by breaking her own women‑only world record on the same London course. Assefa powered away in the final stretch to win in 2:15:41, nine seconds faster than the 2:15:50 she set on the same route in 2025, which was already a women‑only world record.

Kenya’s Hellen Obiri, the two‑time world 5,000m champion and Paris 2024 marathon bronze‑medallist, stormed to second in a personal‑best 2:15:53, narrowly edging out compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei, who finished two‑hundredths of a second behind in 2:15:55. The trio’s times were the three fastest in the women‑only category ever recorded, showcasing how tightly clustered the top of the women’s marathon field has become.

“Repeating my victory from last year means even more,” said Assefa, who is also an Olympic silver‑medallist. “Breaking my own world record was one of my goals, and the joy I feel is just swelling inside me.”

Mixed‑race vs women‑only marks

World Athletics maintains separate men’s and women‑only world records for the marathon, reflecting the reality that many of the fastest women’s times are achieved with the benefit of male pacemakers in mixed‑gender races. The absolute women’s world record in a mixed race is 2:09:56, set by Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, a figure that remains more than six minutes ahead of Assefa’s women‑only London mark.

Race organisers in London have emphasised that Assefa’s 2:15:41 will be ratified as the new women‑only mark, reinforcing the idea that elite women can now run at speeds that would have been considered unthinkable just a few years ago.

A day of mass participation and fundraising

Beyond the elite fireworks, the 46th TCS London Marathon again drew tens of thousands of runners through the capital’s streets. More than 59,000 people were expected to complete the 26.2‑mile (42.2‑km) course in warm spring weather, coming close to the record 56,640 finishers set in 2025, which was the highest number ever recorded in a single marathon. Organisers have already announced plans to explore moving to a two‑day format in 2027, potentially allowing up to 100,000 runners to participate.

The event also continues to be a global fundraising powerhouse: last year’s race raised a record £87.3 million ($118 million) for charity, making it the world’s largest one‑day fundraising event in a single day. With the new sub‑two‑hour chapter now written in London, attention is already turning to where the next record‑breaking chapter might unfold—whether in Berlin, Chicago, or on the same cobbled streets of the British capital.