Kenyans hellen obiri

Kenyans Hellen Obiri: Kenya's Sabastian Sawe clocked a winning time of one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds in the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. The 31-year-old broke the previous world record of 2:00:35, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

Runner-up Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia also shattered the two-hour barrier in 1:59:41, while Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo took bronze in 2:00:28. Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own women 's-only world record in 2:15:41, beating the record of 2:15:50 she set last year in London. Kenyans Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei finished second and third, respectively.

From the outset, the race was set up for something special. The lead group – featuring Sawe, Kejelcha, three-time world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo, Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, 2022 London Marathon winner Amos Kipruto, and Deresa Geleta – moved through the early miles at a controlled but ambitious pace, hitting 5km in 14:14 (2:00:03 pace).