The two-hour barrier has officially been broken for the first time in marathon history.Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe became the first man to officially break the two-hour marathon barrier after winning the London Marathon in 1 hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds on Sunday.It was a landmark moment in athletics as Savage broke the men’s world record by 65 seconds. Ethiopia’s Yumef Kejelcha also finished under two hours, crossing the line in 1:59:41 in his first marathon. Uganda’s Jacob Kaplemo finished third in 2:00:28, faster than the previous world record.The previous men’s world record was 2:00:35, set by Kenya’s Kelvin Kaptum in Chicago in 2023.All three runners finished faster than that mark on Sunday.Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya clocked 1:59:40 in October 2019 to become the first person in recorded history to complete a marathon in under two hours.However, this time was not accepted as a world record because it used special shoes, did not follow standard competition rules and fluids for pacing, and was not an open event.Savay, who wore Adidas’ new Pro Evo 3 Supershoes that weighed less than 100 grams, said before the race that he was aiming for a course record or even a world record.He was part of a lead group of six runners who crossed the halfway mark in 1:00:29.Later, Sawe and Kjielcha surged ahead of the rest of the field and stayed together until the closing stages, before the Kenyan hit his stride and cruised to victory.
