Sebastian Sawe Smashes World Record in Largest Ever London Marathon

Kenyan Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon on Sunday in record breaking fashion as he is the first person to finish a competetive marathon in under two hours.

Sawe's 1:59:30 time was completed in perfect conditions as it was sunny and 18 degrees Celcius (65 degrees Farenheit).

The London Marathon is also set to undergo a massive change next year moving from one to two days of action.

World Record Smashed

Sawe, who won the London marathon last year in a time of 2:02:27, made a previous attempt to break the two-hour mark in Berlin last year, but failed due to unusually hot weather. Speaking to the BBC after crossing the line on Sunday, the 31-year-old said: 'I am feeling good. I am so happy. It is a day to remember for me.'

The only other under two hour time set finished at marathon distance was Eliud Kipchoge back in 2019, but that race was held in controlled conditions and therefore not considered an official marathon.

The previous men's course record is 2:00:35, set by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon in 2023.

In the women's race, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa broke her own world record, set last year in the same race, after finishing the London course in 2:15:41, according to the Financial Times.

Did His Shoes Contribute to his Win?

Sawe's shoes the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 a brand new running shoe that at the time of this article you cannot even purchase.

The Pro Evo 3 comes in at just 97 grams while its predecessor the Evo 2 came in at 138 grams which is a 30 percent difference between the two.

You can purchase the Evo 3 starting on the 30th of April, according to GQ.

What is the Future of the London Marathon and Will It Stay That Way?

More than 59,000 people took part in this year's London marathon, a new record and a further sign of the post-pandemic boom in running. More than 1.1mn applied to participate, a record for a marathon and up from 840,000 a year earlier. Organisers are considering making the London marathon a two-day event next year, which would enable more than 100,000 to take part,' according to the Guardian.

Speaking on Wednesday, Hugh Brasher, the event director, confirmed that one of the two days would be devoted to faster women, with the women's elite race, women's championship and good-for-age runners and a mixed mass participation race all taking place. The other day would then focus more on the men's races while also having a second mass participation race for men and women.

Brasher also promised those still holding up the deal that 2027 would be a one-off 'double' as the London Marathon did not want to 'lose the love' it has from runners, fans and people living in the capital.

'We have a huge amount of plans for it,' said Brasher. 'We believe that more than £130m would be raised for good causes, and that £400m of economic and social benefit would come to this country.'

According to the Guardian, advanced talks are under way for the one-off event which would allow around 100,000 people to take part, nearly double the number running on Sunday.