A delighted Sawe said he went into the race, run in warm spring weather, believing he could break the two-hour mark.
“I’ve made history today in London, and for the new generation [it shows] to run a record is possible,” said the 31-year-old, whose winning time was scribbled on his shoe.
“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.”
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge ran 1h 59m 40s in October 2019, becoming the first person in recorded history to complete a sub-two-hour marathon.
But the time was not ratified as a world record because he ran with specialised shoes, standard competition rules for pacing and fluids were not followed, and it was not an open event.
Sawe, wearing adidas’ new Pro Evo 3 supershoe, which weighs less than 100g, suggested in the lead-up to Sunday’s race that a course record or even a world record was in his sights.
He led a group of six, which also included Olympic champion Tamirat Tola and half-marathon world-record holder Kiplimo as they passed the halfway point in a time of 1h 29s.
The leading sextet later began to string out and Sawe and Kejelcha pulled clear, staying in lockstep until the final stages.
Sawe made his move with about 1.6km remaining, finally breaking clear of Kejelcha, who was also wearing the new adidas shoes, and pressing on alone, taking 65 seconds off the previous world record.
Kipchoge praised his compatriot, posting on social media that it was a “historical day for marathon running”.
“Seeing two athletes break the magical two-hour barrier at the London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together,” he said.
Kenya’s President William Ruto said Sawe had “redrawn the limits of human endurance”.
“This is more than a win,” he tweeted. “It is a defining moment. Your triumph places you firmly among the greats of global athletics and reaffirms Kenya as an enduring force at the pinnacle of distance running.”
Assefa outpaces Obiri
In the women’s race, reigning Olympic and world silver medallist Assefa was locked in a three-way tussle with Kenyan pair Hellen Obiri and Joyciline Jepkosgei, but surged away in the closing stages to cross the line in a time of 2h 15m 41s.
Tigst Assefa of Team Ethiopia celebrates with her adidas shoe after winning the Women’s 2026 TCS London Marathon with a new world record time. Photo / Getty Images
That time beat the Ethiopian’s previous best, set on the same course last year, by nine seconds.
“I’m so happy to win again,” said the 29-year-old, who also wore the new footwear. “To repeat my victory from last year means even more. The happiness I feel is just swelling up inside me.
“It was one of my plans coming into this competition to break my own world record from last year’s race. So to do that has brought me a lot of satisfaction.”
Obiri, a two-time former world 5000m champion who won marathon bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics, came in second in a personal best of 2h 15m 53s.
She finished two-hundredths of a second ahead of compatriot Jepkosgei.
The world record set in a mixed race where female athletes benefit from male pacemakers was by Kenya’s now-banned Ruth Chepngetich, who clocked 2h 09m 56s at the Chicago Marathon in October 2024.
– Agence France-Presse