Event: London

Sabastian Sawe's parents have shared their pride at the runner's historic sub-two-hour London Marathon win. The 31-year-old Kenyan set a new world record after crossing the line in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds on Sunday, more than a minute faster than the previous record holder's time. Simion and Emily told the BBC they watched the race from home in rural Kenya, and are planning celebrations for when Sabastian returns.More on this story.

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Nowhere has the achievement at the race in London resonated more than in Kenya’s Rift Valley, which has yielded many champions.Sabastian Sawe ran the London Marathon in less than two hours on Sunday.Credit...Matthew Childs/ReutersApril 27, 2026When Eliud Kipchoge ran a sub two-hour marathon seven years ago, it sparked an explosion of national pride in his home country, Kenya, as the culmination of more than half a century of distance-running dominance.But there was an asterisk.Mr. Kipchoge had run without competition and with a series of pacemakers, so it was not recognized as an official record. Now the milestone has been breached without an asterisk and, once again, it has been done by a Kenyan.Sabastian Sawe came in a full 30 seconds below that once unthinkable barrier at the London Marathon on Sunday. He smashed the world record — also set by a Kenyan — by more than a minute. The reaction in Kenya has been euphoric.“This is more than a win; it is a defining moment,” President William Ruto of Kenya said in a post on X. “Your triumph places you firmly among the greats of global athletics and reaffirms Kenya as an enduring force at the pinnacle of distance running.”The achievement has resonated nowhere more than in the Rift Valley, which has yielded many of Kenya’s champions. Runners from around the world go to train in the area, part of a geographical feature that bisects the country from north to south, attempting to capitalize on the high altitude and the chance to train among the best of the best.To make the point clear, Iten, a town in the Rift Valley famous for high-altitude training, welcomes…

Sabastian Sawe has always had a propensity to surprise.Having never competed on the road, the Kenyan began the 2022 Seville half marathon as a pacemaker, proceeded to drop everybody within the first 10km, and carried on to claim victory in a course record time.Running the second-fastest marathon debut in history in Valencia in 2024, Sawe again hinted at his potential.That time of two hours two minutes five seconds was only 12 seconds slower than the late Kelvin Kiptum's first marathon two years earlier, before Kiptum went on to break the world record in Chicago in 2023.There were signs.But they were far from sufficient to prepare anyone for the momentous occasion which unfolded on a perfect April morning in London on Sunday.Sporting immortality, secured in 1:59:30.Speaking to BBC Sport 24 hours after making history as the first person to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race, Sawe said the time came as a surprise even to him, with his focus primarily on retaining his title."It was not in my mind. I was well prepared for this year's London Marathon, but what comes surprised me because I was not thinking to run a world record."But Sawe, 31, says he can go even faster."It was possible to run faster yesterday," he said. "Even 1:58 is possible."Sawe, born in Kenya's Rift Valley, where his father worked as a maize farmer, declared it "a day to remember" after obliterating Kiptum's world record by 65 seconds.Others searched for the words to pay appropriate tribute to an accomplishment once considered impossible."Nobody thought that a sub-two-hour marathon under World Athletics conditions would be done in their lifetime," London Marathon race director Hugh Brasher told BBC Sport."This is an unbelievable day for sport. It is sport and history in the making."Former women's marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe…