The First Sub-2 Marathon: Sawe & Kejelcha Make History | 2026 London Marathon Instant Reaction

The First Sub-2 Marathon: Sawe & Kejelcha Make History | 2026 London Marathon Instant Reaction

From Marathon Handbook Podcast by Marathon Handbook

April 26, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

This episode covers the historic first sub-two-hour marathon and the performances of key athletes in the 2026 London Marathon.

Sebastian Sawe just ran 1:59:30 on the streets of London — the first sub-two-hour marathon in history on a sanctioned course. And he wasn't alone. Yomif Kejelcha, in his marathon debut, ran 1:59:41 to make it two sub-2s in a single race. On the women's side, Tigst Assefa lowered her own women's-only world record, with Hellen Obiri running a huge PB just under 2:16 for second. Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci recorded this instant reaction from Knees Up on Hackney Road, with Jessy Carveth dialing in live from the finish line media center — including a quick word with Sawe himself before the press conference. In this episode: The moment the media center went silent — and then erupted — as Sawe came around the final bend How a 90-second negative split delivered the first official sub-2 Yomif Kejelcha's astonishing marathon debut and what it means for the next decade of the event Tigst Assefa, Hellen Obiri, and the women's race that almost got lost in the sauce The Adidas Pro Evo 3: why Adidas held it back from Boston, and what it does to the shoe wars Where John Korir's 2:01 in Boston now sits in the conversation Athlete vs. shoes vs. nutrition: the Maurten data on Sawe's…

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