Kipchoge's Vienna milestone shaped modern marathon potential
Kipchoge's unofficial Vienna sub-two-hour marathon fundamentally altered elite marathon performance expectations.
Event / Sports
London Marathon 2026
The 2026 London Marathon featured historic world record performances across multiple categories, including the first sub-two-hour marathon and multiple records in women's and wheelchair divisions.
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2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 26 Apr, 14:07 UTC
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What happened
Sabastian Sawe breaks men's marathon world record under two hours
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, becoming the first runner to officially complete a marathon in under two hours. He broke the previous world record, set by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, by 65 seconds.
Eliud Kipchoge previously ran unofficial sub-two-hour marathon
In 2019, Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge completed a marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna during the specially organized 'INEOS 1:59 Challenge.' The event, arranged by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, featured favorable conditions, a 6-mile circuit with rotating pacemakers, and was not classified as an official race, so the time was not recognized as a world record.
Jacob Kiplimo finishes third, breaks previous world record
Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo completed the London Marathon in 2 hours and 28 seconds, finishing in third place. He broke the previous official world record set by Kelvin Kiptum by seven seconds.
Tigst Assefa sets women's-only marathon world record
Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won the women's London Marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds, setting the fastest time ever recorded in a women's-only marathon. She defended her London Marathon title and improved on her previous course record from the prior year.
Yomif Kejelcha becomes second runner to break two-hour marathon barrier
Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha finished the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 41 seconds, just 11 seconds behind winner Sabastian Sawe. Kejelcha became the second official runner to complete a marathon in under two hours, doing so in his first-ever marathon.
Catherine Debrunner wins women's wheelchair marathon race
Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner won the women's wheelchair race at the London Marathon, defeating American Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend her title.
Marcel Hug wins sixth consecutive London Marathon wheelchair title
Switzerland's Marcel Hug won the men's wheelchair race at the London Marathon, securing his sixth straight title and eighth overall in the event.
Three women run under 2:16 in marathon for first time
For the first time ever, three women completed a marathon in under 2 hours and 16 minutes. Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa won in 2:15:41, Kenya's Hellen Obiri finished second in a personal-best time, and Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei took third place.
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finishes third at 2026 London Marathon
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda finished third at the 2026 London Marathon in 2 hours, 28 seconds, breaking the previous world record time set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023 by 7 seconds.
Sabastian Sawe breaks men's marathon world record at 2026 London Marathon
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the 2026 London Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, becoming the first person to officially complete a marathon in under 2 hours. He broke the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, improving the time by 65 seconds.
Marcel Hug wins sixth consecutive and eighth overall men's wheelchair title at London Marathon
Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men's wheelchair race at the 2026 London Marathon, achieving his sixth consecutive title and eighth overall title in the event.
Joyciline Jepkosgei finishes third in women's marathon at London
Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya finished third in the women's race at the 2026 London Marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 55 seconds.
Eliud Kipchoge achieved unofficial sub-2-hour marathon in 2019
Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge completed a marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds at the 1.59 Challenge in Vienna in 2019. The race was arranged by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe under specially tailored conditions on a 6-mile circuit with rotating pacemakers, and was not recognized as an official race, so the time did not enter the official record books.
Hellen Obiri finishes second in women's marathon at London
Hellen Obiri of Kenya finished second in the women's race at the 2026 London Marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 53 seconds.
Tigst Assefa sets women's-only marathon world record at London Marathon
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia won the women's race at the 2026 London Marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds, setting a new women's-only world record. This time was 9 seconds faster than her previous record of 2:15:50 set at the 2025 London Marathon.
Catherine Debrunner defends women's wheelchair title at London Marathon
Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland won the women's wheelchair race at the 2026 London Marathon, defending her title from the previous year in a close finish against Tatyana McFadden.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finishes second under two-hour barrier at London Marathon
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia finished second at the 2026 London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 41 seconds, becoming the second person to officially break the two-hour marathon barrier. This was Kejelcha's debut marathon performance.
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe breaks marathon world record with sub-2-hour finish
Sabastian Sawe, a 29-year-old Kenyan runner, became the first athlete in history to complete a marathon in under 2 hours. He finished the London Marathon on April 26, 2026, in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds, breaking the previous world record of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds set by Kelvin Kiptum in April 2023. Sawe crossed the finish line at Buckingham Palace.
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa wins London Marathon and improves women's-only world record
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa, 29 years old, won the London Marathon on April 26, 2026, and improved her own women's-only marathon world record. She finished in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 41 seconds, lowering her previous record set the previous year by 9 seconds. Assefa sprinted in the final meters to defeat Kenyans Joyciline Jepkosgei and Hellen Obiri, with whom she ran the entire race.
Ethiopian runner Yomif Kejelcha finishes second in London Marathon, breaking 2-hour barrier in first marathon attempt
Yomif Kejelcha, an Ethiopian distance runner, finished second in the London Marathon on April 26, 2026, in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 41 seconds. This was Kejelcha's first marathon, making his sub-2-hour finish particularly remarkable given his background as a half-marathon specialist. He became the second athlete in history to break the 2-hour marathon barrier.
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2 alternative perspectives
Hug and Debrunner secure wheelchair division victories in London
Hug and Debrunner won the wheelchair divisions at London Marathon 2026.
Elite marathon field shatters multiple barriers in historic London performance
Historic marathon records shattered as Sawe breaks men's world record and three women break 2:16 barrier simultaneously.
Kipchoge's unofficial benchmark sets precedent for marathon evolution
Kipchoge's 2019 Vienna unofficial sub-2-hour marathon precedent redefined elite marathon performance standards globally.
Hug and Debrunner claim wheelchair marathon crowns in London
Hug wins his sixth straight and eighth total men's wheelchair title; Debrunner defends her women's title.
Sawe, Assefa dominate elite podiums with record-breaking performances
Sawe and Assefa delivered dominant performances with world records across both elite marathons.
Historic marathon records shattered as three athletes break barriers
Three athletes broke world records at London Marathon, with Sawe achieving a historic sub-2-hour men's finish.