Sabastian Sawe wins 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30
- Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon on April 26 in 1:59:30, becoming the first man under two hours in a record-legal race. - Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41, also under Kelvin Kiptum’s old record, after Sawe ran a 59:01 second half. - Sawe cut 65 seconds off Kiptum’s 2023 world record as London produced multiple record runs. (worldathletics.org)
Sabastian Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30 on Sunday, April 26, becoming the first man to break two hours in an official marathon. (worldathletics.org) World Athletics said Sawe’s time was a world record and 65 seconds faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from Chicago in 2023. Sawe made his move with about a mile left after running alongside Yomif Kejelcha deep into the race. (worldathletics.org) Kejelcha finished second in 1:59:41, an Ethiopian record, the second-fastest marathon ever, and the fastest marathon debut on record. Jacob Kiplimo took third in 2:00:28, a Ugandan record that was also inside the previous world record. (worldathletics.org) The pacing explains how unusual the finish was. The lead group hit 5 kilometers in 14:14, halfway in 1:00:29, then Sawe covered the second half in 59:01. (worldathletics.org) The sub-two mark had stood as marathon running’s cleanest dividing line because Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019 came in a controlled exhibition, not a record-eligible race. World Athletics said Sawe’s London run was the first official sub-two performance. (worldathletics.org) London had already been set up for a fast race. World Athletics’ pre-race preview listed Sawe, Kiplimo, Tamirat Tola, Joshua Cheptegei and Kejelcha in a field strong enough that Sawe predicted a world record was possible. (worldathletics.org 1) (worldathletics.org 2) The women’s race also produced a record. Tigst Assefa defended her London title in 2:15:41, improving her own women-only world record, according to World Athletics. (worldathletics.org) The wheelchair races added two more headline results. London Marathon Events said Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race for an eighth London title, matching David Weir’s event record, and Catherine Debrunner retained the women’s wheelchair crown in 1:34:18, just two seconds outside her world record. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 1) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 2) Sawe had won London in 2025 in 2:02:27 and arrived as the top-ranked men’s marathoner on the World Athletics profile page. One year later, the same race became the site of the first legal sub-two marathon. (worldathletics.org 1) (worldathletics.org 2)
