Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon on Sunday 26 April 2026 in 1:59:30, the first sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible race. It beat Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 from Chicago 2023 by 65 seconds. World Athletics ratified the mark on 23 July, 88 days later.
How the race unfolded
Conditions were close to ideal: an elite start at 10 °C rising to a high of 17 °C, light easterly winds of about 6 mph and a dry day. A pack of six formed early: Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha, Jacob Kiplimo, Amos Kipruto, Tamirat Tola and Deresa Geleta. They passed 5K in 14:14 and 10K in 28:35, with Kiplimo taking a turn at the front around 15K and halfway coming in 1:00:29, just off record pace. By 25K (1:11:41) Kejelcha was leading. The gap was only five seconds at 30K, but between 35K and 40K Sawe surged, opening 11 seconds on Kejelcha and 58 seconds on Kiplimo, and ran the last 7K inside 2:48 per kilometre. His second half was about 59 minutes, a clear negative split.
Results
1. Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 1:59:30. 2. Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) 1:59:41, a marathon debut. 3. Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 2:00:28. 4. Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:01:39, a personal best by more than a minute. 5. Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:02:59. 6. Deresa Geleta (ETH) 2:03:23. Addisu Gobena, Geoffrey Kamworor, Peter Lynch of Ireland and Mahamed Mahamed of Britain followed, and Joshua Cheptegei was 12th in 2:06:39. Three men finished under the old world record and six under 2:04. Sawe, 31, is unbeaten in his marathons to date.
A women-only record too
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:15:41, a women-only world record that lowered her own 2025 London mark by nine seconds. Hellen Obiri, on her London debut, was second in 2:15:53 and Joyciline Jepkosgei third in 2:15:55, all within 14 seconds. The women reached halfway in 1:06:12, well under record pace. The men’s result overshadowed a run that would normally have dominated headlines.
Wheelchair races
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:24:13, his sixth straight London title, with Luo Xingchuan second and David Weir third at age 46. Catherine Debrunner won the women’s race in 1:38:29, five seconds ahead of Tatyana McFadden.
Why this one counts
Eliud Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019, but with pacing and equipment arrangements that made it ineligible for record purposes. London is a standard point-to-point race chip-timed from Blackheath to The Mall. More than 59,000 runners were expected to finish, the largest field in the race’s history. For ordinary marathoners the lesson is evenness: roughly 1:00:29 and 59 minutes for the two halves, run steadily rather than fast early.
Sources
- Marathon Handbook: Sawe wins 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30
- RUN247: London Marathon results 2026
- NBC Sports: London Marathon results
- Marathon Handbook: Kiplimo’s record ratified (London ratification date)
Updated November 14, 2026.
Photo: Denis Barthel (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
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