Sabastian Sawe etched his name in the history books as he became the first person to officially run under two hours in the marathon in a win at the London Marathon on Sunday.
Yomif Kejelcha took second in 1:59:40 in his own sub-two hour performance one of the most mythical barriers in sports fell as the spring marathon major season closed with a roar.
Sawe was tucked inside of a lead men’s pack that featured Kejelcha, Jacob Kiplimo, Amos Kipruto, Tamirat Tola and Deresa Geleta in an assertive pace from the start with a 14:14 pass at the 5km mark and inched through the 10km point at 28:35. It was a theme that would continue as none of the six showed any signs of drifting from the group, which reached the half at 1:00:29
But Sawe, 31, would later define he second part of the race, that became a precise engineering a record that appeared to be out of reach based on pace at the halfway point. Sawe and Kejelcha found some separation at 30km at 1:26:03 with a two second gap on Kiplimo as both accelerated into a continued negative split that dramatically made the prospect of a historic mark into reality.
At 40km in 1:53:39, Sawe and Kejelcha upped the pace as the attention turned to taking the win as the hope for a record was still in reach. And that’s when Sawe finally broke free from Kejelcha and surged to widen his lead. With 600m at 1:58 the win, a new world record and a shot at running immortality all became clearer as he crossed the line in victory.
Kejelcha followed in 1:59:40 as the second person to run under the two-hour barrier and Jacob Kiplimo took third in 2:00.28.
“I realized [I’d broken the record] when finishing the race because I had been so focused on competing with my friend Yomif,” Sawe said. “Finally, he dropped and at the finish line I saw I was there in 1:59. And that’s when I realized.”
“It is a day to remember for me and my family,” he added.
Sawe shaved a staggering 65 seconds off of Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from the 2023 Chicago Marathon, with Kiplimo coming seven seconds under that mark.
Eliud Kipchoge, who ran the distance in 1:59:40 in an exhibition in Vienna in 2019, commented on Sawe’s record in a message posted on social media.
“Today is a historical day for marathon running!”, Kipchoge said. “Seeing two athletes break the magical 2-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together. My deepest congratulations to both Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha.”
Kipchoge’s time was not an official record because it was not completed during a race and preparations were made specifically to run under two hours. But the event showed the possibility for a person to clock under two hours in the marathon.
A look at Sawe’s splits tell the tale of how the new record took shape. The lead men’s group started out aggressively and the first set of pacers were asked to target a 60:30 half, which Sawe beat by one second, which was designed to be inside of Kiptum’s record.
Sawe’s historic splits in London
5km – 14:14
10km – 28:35
15km – 43:10
20km – 57:21
Half – 1:00:29
25km – 1:11:41
30km – 1:26:03
35km – 1:39:57
40km – 1:53:39
Finish – 1:59:30
In the women’s race, Tigst Assefa was pulled away in the closing stages as she defended her title and lowered her own women’s-only world record to 2:15:41.
Assefa was part of a lead group that pushed the pace from the start with Hellen Obiri, Joyciline Jepkosgei and Catherine Amanang’ole all moving past the 5km mark at 15:39 and 10km point at 31:03. But by 15km, Amanang’ole had faded from the pack and the order of the podium became a game of guesswork as the race would be decided on calculated timing and a kick to the finish line.
At the halfway point Assefa, Obiri and Jepkosgei crossed at 1:06:12 in an exercise of patience for all three competitors. But Assefa, 29, surged at 35km at 1:51:38 and forced the group to keep up or face that being the moment she pulled away for good. Obiri and Jepkosgei countered with their own adjustments and at 40km at 2:08:27, the true race began as Assefa kept herself positioned for one final strike.
As she approached Birdcage Walk and leaned right near Buckingham Palace, Assefa bolted on the last 200m and grabbed the win and a refresh of her women’s only record.
“I screamed when I finished because I knew I was breaking the world record,” Assefa said. “I’m so happy, because I’ve been more focused on my speed work. I knew if I could find the energy I could win on my speed.”
Assefa’s prior mark in London came in 2:15:50 last year.
Hellen Obiri took second in a personal best 2:15:53 and Joyciline Jepkosgei finished third in 2:15:55.
In the men’s wheelchair race, Marcel Hug won his sixth straight London Marathon in 1:24:13 by over six minutes in a dominant victory as Catherine Debrunner slipped past Tatyana McFadden in 1:38:29 for third consecutive win on the course and fourth overall.
Men’s Elite Finishers
1. Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) — 1:59:30
2. Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia) – 1:59:41
3. Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda) – 2:00:28
4. Amos Kipruto (Kenya) – 2:01:39
5. Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) – 2:02:59
6. Deresa Geleta (Ethiopia) – 2:03:23
7. Addisu Gobena (Ethiopia) – 2:05:23
8. Geoffrey Kamworor (Kenya) – 2:05:38
9. Peter Lynch (Ireland) – 2:06:08
10. Mahamed Mahamed (Great Britain) – 2:06:14
Women’s Elite Finishers
1. Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) – 2:15:41
2. Hellen Obiri (Kenya) – 2:15:53
3. Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya) – 2:15:55
4. Degitu Azimeraw (Ethiopia) – 2:19:53
5. Catherine Amanang’ole (Kenya) – 2:21:20
6. Eunice Chumba (Brunei) – 2:23:44
7. Eilish McColgan (Great Britain) – 2:24:51
8. Julia Paternain (Uruguay) – 2:25:47
9. Rose Harvey (Great Britain) – 2:26:14
10. Marta Galimany (Spain) – 2:27:38
Men’s Wheelchair
1. Marcel Hug (Switzerland) – 1:24:13
2. Luo Xingchuan (China) – 1:28:46
3. David Weir (Great Britain) – 1:29:23
4. Tomoki Suzuki (Japan) – 1:30:05
5. Jetze Plat (Netherlands) – 1:31:04
6. Sho Watanabe (Japan) – 1:31:42
7. Hiroki Kishizawa (Japan) – 1:31:43
8. Evan Correll (USA) – 1:32:03
9. Geert Schipper (Netherlands) – 1:33:53
10. Ludwig Malter (Austria) – 1:33:54
Women’s Wheelchair
1. Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) – 1:38:29
2. Tatyana McFadden (USA) – 1:38:34
3. Manuela Schar (Switzerland) – 1:41:21
4. Tian Yajuan (China) – 1:46:59
5. Zhou Zhaoqian (China) – 1:46:59
6. Tsubasa Nakamine (Japan) – 1:47:01
7. Madison de Rozario (Australia) – 1:47:01
8. Vanessa de Souza (Brazil) – 1:47:01
9. Patricia Eachus (Switzerland) – 1:48:00
10. Christie Dawes (Australia) – 1:48:38
