Kenya's Sabastian Sawe and Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha Break Two-Hour Marathon Barrier at London Marathon

On August 26, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon with a world record time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, becoming the first person to officially run a marathon under two hours. Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha placed second at 1:59:41. Both athletes wore Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes, weighing under 3.5 ounces, featuring ultra-light foam and a carbon plate that tilts the runner forward for efficiency. Sawe's coach, Claudio Berardelli, reported that Sawe ran about 125 miles per week in the six weeks before the race, peaking at 150 miles. Sawe fueled with bread, honey, tea, and carbohydrate drinks/gels averaging 115 grams of carbs per hour. Race conditions were favorable: 55°F at the 9:30 a.m. start, reaching 60°F by finish. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa also set a women's world record of 2:15:41 in the same race. Sports scientists Mark Connick (Queensland University of Technology) and Brad Wilkins (University of Oregon) and biologist Daniel Lieberman (Harvard) commented on the physiological and technological factors. Eliud Kipchoge's 2019 sub-two-hour run in Vienna was unofficial due to controlled conditions. The achievement is seen as a new benchmark for elite marathon running.