Overview
- Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in 1:59:30, becoming the first runner to complete an official marathon in under two hours and cutting Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 record by 65 seconds.
- The race delivered rare depth as Yomif Kejelcha ran 1:59:41 in his marathon debut and Jacob Kiplimo finished in 2:00:28, showing multiple athletes at or near record pace.
- Both leaders raced in next‑gen carbon shoes from Adidas, and coaches also cited modern pacing and heavy mid‑race carbohydrate intake as keys to sustaining speed late in the course.
- The result brought about €282,000 in official prize payments for Sawe, and a British tabloid reports that contract bonuses could push his payout above $1 million.
- Anti‑doping questions remain in the conversation after WADA labeled Kenya’s agency non‑compliant last year and given his coach’s past links to a case, though pharmacologist Fritz Sörgel says the performance is plausible at this stage.