Sabastian Sawe of Kenya etched his name in sporting history today, becoming the first person to officially complete a marathon in under two hours. Sawe crossed the finish line at the London Marathon with a time of 1:59:30.
The two-hour mark, a long-elusive target, was shattered in a race where two other competitors also achieved similar feats. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha secured second place with a time of 1:59:41, also surpassing the previous world record. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo rounded out the top three, finishing in 2:00:28, a time that would have previously stood as a world best.
A New Standard
Sawe's performance represents a significant acceleration in marathon running. He covered the second half of the 42.2-kilometer course in a blistering 59 minutes and 1 second, demonstrating a remarkable increase in pace as the race progressed. The previous London Marathon course record, set by Kiptum, stood at 2:01:25.
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The women's race also saw a record-breaking performance. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa defended her title, winning in 2:15:41, the fastest time ever recorded in a women's-only marathon event.
The Shadow of Unofficial Feats
While Sawe's accomplishment is celebrated as the first official sub-two-hour marathon, the specter of unofficial achievements looms. Notably, Eliud Kipchoge had previously run under two hours in 2019, though under controlled conditions that did not qualify for official record recognition. Another instance involved Yomif Kejelcha also running under two hours in a controlled environment. The nuances of what constitutes an 'official' record remain a persistent undercurrent in discussions around these groundbreaking times.
Contextualizing the Pace
Sawe, who won last year's London Marathon with a time of 2:02:27, had indicated before Sunday's race that he was targeting a record performance. The race lineup, featuring fellow strong contenders like Jacob Kiplimo, himself a half-marathon world record holder, and Yomif Kejelcha, set the stage for a historically fast event. The technological aspect of running shoes is also noted, with Sawe reportedly wearing the new Adidas Pro Evo 3 supershoe.
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The distinction of a 'women's-only marathon' arises from the staggered start times, with elite women beginning their race 30 minutes prior to the elite men.
