Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe has smashed what seemed an impossible human barrier,  becoming the first person in history to complete a marathon in under two hours.

In a huge moment, Sawe also broke the men’s world record by 65 seconds in winning the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday (local time).

The second-place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, also broke two hours by crossing the line in 1:59:41 — remarkably in his first marathon.

And third-placed Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda broke the previous world-record time — set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023 — by seven seconds in finishing in 2:00:28.

Sabastian Sawe

The quest to run sub-two hours has been the Holy Grail of marathon running, with the world wondering when — and if  — it would be achieved.

The quest pushed runners to the limits of athletic performance and had been deemed an impossible human feat.

Eliud Kipchoge ran under two hours in Vienna in 2019 but his heavily supported attempt was not considered a record because it was not raced in competition.

Kipchoge had an army of pacers who guarded him from the wind and a pace car beaming a pace position onto the road.

In an exhilarating sight, Sawe powered to the finish as huge crowds lined the streets of the British capital to cheer him on.

“What comes today is not for me alone but for all of us today in London,” he said.

“I think I’ve made history today in London, and for the new generation it shows to run a record is possible.

“It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had, so for me I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible.

“Everything is possible with a matter of time.

“It’s something not to be forgotten, something to be remembered, and it will remain in my mind forever.”

Sawe ran the second half of the marathon in 59 minutes and 1 second, pulling clear with Kejelcha after 30 kilometres and then making his solo break in the final two kilometres as he sprinted along the finish on The Mall.

A record was also set in the women’s race, with Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa pulling away with some 500 metres remaining to win in 2:15:41, defending her title with the fastest time recorded in a women’s-only marathon.

However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.

In the wheelchair races, there was a Swiss double with Marcel Hug powering to a sixth straight men’s title – and eighth in total – and Catherine Debrunner beating Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend the title.

-with AAP