LONDON: Sixty thousand runners participated in the 26.2-mile marathon held here on Sunday (26th April, 2026), during which Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe made history by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race.
The London Marathon is an annual event that was founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981.
The 30-year-old Kenyan crossed the line to win in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds, more than one minute faster than the late Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record of 2:00:35, set in 2023.
Following the historic feat Sawe said: “I want to thank the crowds for cheering us. I think they help a lot, because if it was not for them, you don’t feel like you are so loved…I think they help a lot because them calling makes you feel so happy and strong and pushing…That is why I can say what comes for me today is not for me alone but all of us in London.”
Mo Farah, the legendary British long-distance runner, who won four Olympic golds for Britain, remarked: “We’ve waited long enough to see a human go sub-two. That’s always been the question that we’ve asked. We’ve just witnessed something incredible!”
BBC commentator/Ex-world champion Steve Cram exclaimed: “There are things that happen in sport and you want to be there to see history being made – if you are watching on TV then well done, but if you’re in London, it is a privilege and it is incredible. We said it was a day for records but I don’t think in our wildest dreams we could have foreseen this.”
29-year-old Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia broke her own world record in winning the London Marathon and crossed the finish line in two hours 15 minutes and 41 seconds.
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Pakistan, that is obsessed with cricket only, too has been organising mini and half marathons at smaller scale.
Newspakistan.tv
