Sabastian Sawe sets sub-two-hour marathon world record London; world record pending ratification

Incredible facts about Sabastian Sawe’s marathon world record

How would the Kenyan world record holder have fared in the 10,000m at the last World Championships? Which legendary Olympic 5,000m race do his splits compare favourably to? Find out everything and more below.

Sabastian Sawe’snew world record* of1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 secondswas a giant leap forward for the marathon.

At theLondon 1908Olympic Games - the first race at which the now-standard marathon distance of42.195kmwas run - the winner,Johnny Hayes, finished the race in2:55:18, almost a full hour slower than Sawe’s effort at the London Marathon 2026.

It was not until 2007 that an athlete ran within five minutes of Sawe’s London Marathon mark, when the great EthiopianHaile Gebrselassiecrossed the line in2:04:26at the Berlin Marathon.

But while Sawe’s sub-two-hour marathon has drawn plaudits from across the globe, the feat is made all the more remarkable when compared with runners competing over shorter and, in theory, faster distances.

From the2025 WorldAthleticsChampionships10,000m toMoFarah’s famous 5,000m victory atLondon 2012, Olympics.com looks at how Sawe’s average running time stacks up against some of the most celebrated recent medal races in history.

*Subject to World Athletics’ ratification procedures

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Sabastian Sawe’s 5,000m time compared to London 2012

Before getting into the numbers, it’s worth noting that middle to long-distance running isn’t always a battle of all-out speed.

Such was the case in theLondon 2012 Olympic 5,000m final, where the race tactics employed weredescribed by the Guardianas “a game of cat and mouse, the pack looping the track in near slow motion, jogging the early laps in cautious mood”.

However, given the sheer length and difficulty of a marathon, it is still remarkable that Sawe’s average pace over his last five kilometres in London would have been enough to take victory in that famous race, won by Great Britain’sMo Farah.

After a sprint to the finish line, Farah’s time of13:41.60was about nine seconds slower than the estimated13:32final 5km of Sawe’s marathon world record**.

And while a swifter race would see Farah claim gold in13:03.30four years later atRio 2016, that Olympic final in England’s capital is an excellent way to demonstrate the brilliance of Sawe’s history-making run.

**Sawe’s estimates are based on his finishing pace at the London Marathon 2026, with the final estimates adjusted to take into account the pace of his last 2.195km and preceding splits.

Emotions of the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games

Athletes in London 2012 tried their best to realise their Olympic dreams - a journey that involved sweat and tears.

Sabastian Sawe’s 10,000m time vs Tokyo 25

You only have to look back to last year to find another medal race that Sawe’s average running time compares favourably to.

Jimmy Gressierclaimed gold in another tactical race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, as hefinished the 10,000m final in 28:55.77.

Sawe’s closing 10 kilometres at the London Marathon can be estimated at27:21, over a minute faster than the French runner’s world title-winning performance.

In fact, his estimated time for the last 10km of the London Marathon would have been enough to come first in the2025, 2022, 2001, 1999, 1997, 1993, 1991, 1987 and 1983 world 10,000m finals.

Sabastian Sawe’s half-marathon time vs the World Athletics Half Marathon World Championships

When compared to the gold medal-winning times at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships, the second half of Sawe’s record-breaking run sees him once again beating the time of the majority of the winners - in this case, including his own time.

Sawe claimed gold in the 2023 edition of the championships in59:10, a mark that was nine seconds slower than his closing half-marathon in London of59:01.

In fact, only two athletes at the Worlds,JacobKiplimo’s58:49in 2020 andZersenayTadese’s58:59in 2007, have run faster than Sawe’s second half-marathon split, despite the Kenyan running double the distance in total.

Athletics | TCS London Marathon| United Kingdom