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Sawe Runs First Sub-Two-Hour Marathon, Urges Testing

4/28/2026

Summary

Sawe Sub-Two

Sabastian Sawe ran a sub-two-hour marathon, finishing London in 1 h 59 m 30 s as the first ever under two hours.
He wore Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes (97 g) and beat Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 record by 65 seconds.
Adidas paid $50,000 to the Athletics Integrity Unit for 25 out-of-competition tests before Berlin and London.
Sawe urged athletes to volunteer for more doping tests to clear doubts about clean competition.

Summary

Assefa Record

Tigist Assefa defended her title with a world record of 2:15:41, the marathon where three women broke 2:16.
Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner won the races, giving Hug his eighth title.
Yomif Kejelcha posted the fastest marathon debut at 1:59:41, the second-fastest ever.
Adidas released a 3.4-ounce men’s shoe, sparking debate over carbon-fiber plate technology as doping.
Sawe trains at altitude in Kenya, spending periods away from family during preparation.

Summary

Sawe 1:59

Sawe ran 1:59:30 on 26 April 2026, about a year before the model’s March 2027 breakthrough forecast.
The model gave a 1 in 4.29 chance of any sub-2-hour marathon on that date and a 1 in 7.4 chance of exactly 1:59:30.
It predicts a theoretical limit of 1 hour 54 minutes, leaving a 4.5 % gap beyond Sawe’s time.
Earlier versions set the limit at 1:58:05 and revised it to 1:55:40 after Kipchoge’s 2022 Berlin and Kiptum’s 2023 Chicago records.

History

Historical Context

The marathon began at the 1896 Olympics, where Spyridon Louis finished in 2 h 58 m 50 s. Nike’s 2017 Breaking2 trial and the 2019 Ineos 1:59 Challenge saw Eliud Kipchoge run 1:59:40 in an exhibition. In April 2026, Sabastian Sawe recorded 1:59:30 at the London Marathon under record-eligible rules, leading World Athletics to tighten shoe regulations and out-of-competition testing.

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Sawe Sub-Two

Sabastian Sawe ran a sub-two-hour marathon, finishing London in 1 h 59 m 30 s as the first ever under two hours.
He wore Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes (97 g) and beat Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 record by 65 seconds.
Adidas paid $50,000 to the Athletics Integrity Unit for 25 out-of-competition tests before Berlin and London.
Sawe urged athletes to volunteer for more doping tests to clear doubts about clean competition.

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