Overview
- Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in 1:59:30, becoming the first athlete to officially run a marathon in under two hours.
- Yomif Kejelcha ran 1:59:41 in his marathon debut and Jacob Kiplimo placed third, with all three men finishing faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 world record from 2023.
- Tigst Assefa defended her title in 2:15:41 to lower the women’s-only world record, with Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei also finishing under 2:16.
- Reporters pointed to cool temperatures, a late tailwind, and Adidas’s newly released Adizero Pro Evo 3 racing shoes weighing about 97–100 grams as helping set the stage for the record pace.
- The mark holds full record status because it came in an open, rule-compliant race rather than a controlled exhibition, and Sawe has sought frequent Athletics Integrity Unit testing as the sport faces doping scrutiny in Kenya.