The streets of London were the stage for something many people thought they would never see: a human being running a marathon in less than two hours in official condition. And not just one: two in the same race on Sunday 26 April 2026, with 3 men under the previous world record and the new record also set for women. 31-year-old Sebastian Sawe crossed the finish line with a time of 1:59:30. The 2026 London Marathon was not alone the fastest race everbut also a day of sport that will remain in history.
Marathon under two hours in London: Sawe’s record rewrites history
The Kenyan Sabastian Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 secondsbecoming the first human to run an official marathon in under two hours. He improved the previous world record of 65 secondsa huge margin at these levels. The Ethiopian took second place Yomif Kejelchawhich stopped the clock in 1:59:41 in his absolute debut in the marathon. In third place was the most anticipated of the day before, the Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo with 2:00:28: a time that, in turn, would set a new world record. In a single race, three athletes ran faster than anyone in history.
Among women, Ethiopian Tigist Assefa defended the title won last year by winning in 2:15:41improving his own world record by 9 seconds. Behind her, Hellen Obiri she finished second in 2:15:53 And Joyciline Jepkosgei third in 2:15:55 It’s the first time in history that three women have finished a marathon under 2:16 in the same race.
An insurmountable limit and Kipchoge’s attempts
The marathon is long 42,195 kilometers and running it in less than two hours means maintaining an average speed of just over 21km/h for the entire distance, covering each kilometer less than 2 minutes and 50 seconds. Since the beginning of the 21st century, great Kenyan and Ethiopian marathon runners have begun to progressively lower their records, going from around 2 hours and 6 minutes to the fateful threshold of two hours: Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Eliud Kipchoge, Kelvin Kiptum. Progress was steady, but the two-hour barrier always seemed out of reach, physically unattainable in a regular race.
In 2017 and 2019 two specific events were organized (but non-regulatory) to overcome this barrier which saw the double Olympic champion as the protagonist Eliud Kipchoge. In designed situations ad hocwith many pacemaker (expert runners who guide the athletes towards a pre-established final time, maintaining a constant pace) to take turns, innovative shoes and weather conditions studied to perfection, the Kenyan champion managed to run the marathon in 1:59:40 on October 12, 2019 in Vienna, proving that breaking the two-hour limit was doable, but probably not under classic racing conditions.
Why London specifically? Favorable shoes and weather conditions
The London Marathon has gained a reputation in recent years for being the fastest circuit among the World Marathon Majors (the six major world marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York). The course is flat, from Blackheath to the finish line on the Mall, in front of Buckingham Palace. The weather conditions of this year’s edition were practically perfect for the athletes: starting temperature around 10°Cwith a maximum of 17°C during the morning, light and favorable wind in the last part of the race, no rain.
Then there is the factor shoes: the two men who ran under two hours, as well as the winner among the women, wore the brand new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, publicly presented a few days ago and announced as a small revolution for high-level athletes, with only 97 grams of weight and a new design can improve ride economy by 1.6% compared to the previous model. Translated into a high-level marathon, doing the1.6% less effort compared to opponents it means actually having the possibility of arriving where no one had arrived before. This is a new step forward in the world of so-called “super shoes” with carbon plate that have revolutionized the world of running over the last 10 years, significantly improving the performance of athletes.
Theenormous potential of the competing athletes. If in the first part the “hares” did an exemplary job in leading the group, in the second half of the race the level of the first three classified led them to push themselves beyond that limit that seemed insurmountable, running the last 21 km in just 59:01.
The debut and record of runner-up Yomif Kejelcha
The winner Sabastian Kimaru SaweKenyan born in 1996, made his marathon debut only in December 2024, in Valencia, winning in 2:02:05one of the fastest rookies in history. The one in London was his alone fourth marathon in his career, but he had always finished the previous three times under 2:03. But if Sawe’s story is extraordinary, that of runner-up Yomif Kejelcha is almost unlikely. Among the best in the world in shorter distances, former record holder of the half marathon and indoor mile, in London he was at the first marathon of his careerconcluded in 1:59:41: the best debut in history, an extraordinary time which however did not guarantee him either victory or the joy of setting a world record.
