Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe crossed the line at the London Marathon in 1:59:30, becoming the first runner to officially break two hours for the full marathon distance in a sanctioned race.
The 2026 London Marathon was held on the 26th (local time) in London.
Sawe maintained an average pace of 2:50 per kilometer over the two hours and finished in 1:59:50.
The time shattered the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum by more than a minute. Eliud Kipchoge previously ran under two hours in an unsanctioned event, but this was the first time the barrier was broken in an official race.
Sawe was not the only sub-2 finisher. Runner-up Yomif Kejelcha also went under two hours, clocking 1:59:41, making it the first race to produce two sub-2 marathoners.
As the news spread, users on South Korean online communities also focused on the shoes Sawe wore during the race, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3.
Some users said the retail price was 900,000 won, while expressing surprise at what they described as the shoe’s philosophy and technology.
In an interview with The Guardian, Sawe said, “I feel so good. I’m really happy,” adding, “Today is a day to remember. I proved that nothing is impossible.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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