Sabastian Sawe shattered the men's marathon world record at the London Marathon, becoming the first athlete to run under two hours in an officially sanctioned race. The previous record of 2:00:35 was set by Kelvin Kiptum, according to multiple media reports. Eliud Kipchoge had previously run under two hours in an unofficial race, as reported by several outlets. Sawe's achievement marks a historic milestone in distance running.
Sawe's winning time was reported as 1:59:30 by some sources, but other reports listed 2:02:27, creating a significant discrepancy. Multiple media outlets confirmed that Yomif Kejelcha finished second with a time of 1:59:41. Sawe's average speed was about 21.2 km/h, according to multiple reports. The exact official time remains unconfirmed pending ratification.
I am very happy. This is a day I will never forget.
Sawe wore Adidas shoes weighing 97 grams, described as the lightest competition shoes ever produced. There are no weight requirements for shoes in marathons, as multiple media reports note. The shoe model Sawe wore is disputed: a pre-race preview from The Guardian stated he would wear the new Adidas Pro Evo 3, weighing 96 grams, as his agent and coach said. However, post-race reports from Runners World and Sneaker Freaker stated he wore the Adizero Pro Evo 2. This discrepancy may indicate a change in plans or a reporting error.
In the women's race, Tigist Assefa won the London Marathon with a women-only world record time of 2:15:50, according to research reports. Assefa wore Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 1 shoes during her win, as reported by research sources. She stated that her training has gone better than last year and that she thinks it is possible to beat her record. Assefa will target her own women-only world record in London, according to multiple media reports.
I saw the time and was thrilled. I thank the crowd for their support.
Other podium finishers in London and Boston also wore Adidas shoes. Alexander Mutiso Munyao finished third in the London Marathon men's race wearing Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 2, according to research reports. Alphonce Simbu finished second and Cybrian Kotut finished third in the Boston Marathon, both wearing Adidas Adizero Pro Evo 2, as reported by multiple sources. Jacob Kiplimo finished second in the London Marathon men's race in 2024 with a time of 2:03:37, according to research reports. Joyciline Jepkosgei finished second in the London Marathon women's race with 2:18:44, and Sifan Hassan finished third with 2:19:00, as reported by multiple sources.
Adidas Adizero shoes took five of the twelve podium spots in the London and Boston Marathons combined, according to research reports. The Adizero series has shattered 26 world records since 2020, as reported by research sources. Agnes Jebet Ngetich set a women-only 10km world record of 29:27 wearing Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1, according to research reports. The Adizero: Road to Records event saw 11 records broken, including two U20 world records, four continental records, and four national records, as reported by research sources.
This is historic. It's like Roger Bannister's four-minute mile.
Sawe's preparation included recovery from a stress fracture in his foot and a back injury, according to his coach Claudio Berardelli. His agent and coach confirmed that Sawe was aiming to break the men's world marathon record in London. Sawe's pacemakers aimed for a halfway time of 60 minutes and 30 seconds, according to his agent Eric Lilot.
The pacing strategy and exact shoe model remain uncertain due to conflicting reports. The sub-two-hour time may be officially ratified as a world record, but this has not been confirmed. The influence of Adidas shoe technology on the record is a topic of discussion. NRK commentator Jann Post said that the record time will likely be discussed in light of the new shoes. NRK expert Vebjørn Rodal added that technology in shoes and nutrition has improved greatly. BBC commentator Steve Cram called the achievement historic and compared it to Roger Bannister's four-minute mile.
I felt the course record could be beaten. My shoes were of record quality.
Sawe expressed his joy after the race, saying he is very happy and that this is a day he will never forget. He also thanked the crowd, saying he saw the time and was thrilled and thanked the crowd for their support. Scottish runner Eilish McColgan remarked that the London Marathon atmosphere blew her expectations away.
Tigst Assefa's future target is to beat her own women-only world record, but the specifics of her preparation are unknown. The official time for Sawe's record and the exact shoe model he wore remain unresolved. These unknowns highlight the need for official confirmation and further reporting.
My training has gone better than last year. I think it's possible to beat my record.