Historic moment as East African marathon runners redefine the sport and shatter records : NPR
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya crosses the line to win the men’s race at the London Marathon, April 27, 2025 Alberto Pezzali/AP hide caption toggle caption Alberto Pezzali/AP NAIROBI, Kenya—East Africa woke up Monday to a new marathon era after Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe made history by becoming the first man to run an official marathon in under two hours at the London Marathon. He clocked 1:59:30, shattering the previous world record. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, running his first marathon, finished second in 1:59:41. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28, seven seconds faster than the previous world record set by the late Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum in Chicago in 2023. The barrier did not just fall: East Africa tore it down, and then kept running. In Kenya, the reaction quickly moved from celebration to national pride. President William Ruto said Sawe had ” redrawn the limits of human endurance.” “Your triumph firmly places you among the greats of global athletics and reaffirms Kenya as an enduring force at the pinnacle of distance running,” the President wrote on his …









