Sawe returns to Kenya as hero after sub-2-hour marathon

Sawe’s Training Regime and Faith Behind Marathon World Record

When Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line at the 2026 London Marathon on April 26 in 1:59:30, becoming the first person to officially break the two-hour barrier, the achievement was the product of months of punishing preparation, a deep Catholic faith, and a race-day duel that pushed two men past a mark once thought impossible.

The Numbers Behind the Record

Sawe’s coach, Claudio Berardelli, an Italian who has spent more than two decades working with runners in Kenya, revealed the training load that underpinned the performance. “In the last six weeks he was averaging 200km and above a week, while the peak was 241km,” Berardelli told The Guardian. That peak of roughly 150 miles in a single week placed Sawe among the highest-volume marathon trainers in the sport’s history. Berardelli said Sawe had been even fitter than during his attempt at the Berlin Marathon in September, when heat derailed his bid for the record. “When I started to see him running the way he ran before London, I was like, hey, something special might come out,” the coach said.irishtimes

Fueling those miles was a spartan diet. On race morning, Sawe ate two slices of bread, honey, and tea — a carbohydrate-focused breakfast designed to delay glycogen depletion in the later stages. He also used Maurten carbohydrate gels and wore Adidas Pro Evo 3 super shoes, the first racing shoe under 100 grams.fastcompany

Faith and Family

At Holy Family Catholic Church in Moiben, in Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Eldoret, the record was no surprise to those who know Sawe best. Julius Kemei, the church chairperson and Sawe’s former primary school teacher, told ACI Africa that the runner attended Mass before departing for London and asked the congregation to pray for him. “He never misses Mass. He comes with his entire family to Church,” Kemei said. Sawe has donated generously to parish construction projects, including cash gifts and a flock of sheep, and has pledged to help complete a new church building with his London earnings.aciafrica

Eyes on 1:58

The record might have been faster still. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, running his debut marathon, finished just 11 seconds behind in 1:59:41, and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo was third in 2:00:28 — all three bettering the late Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record of 2:00:35. Berardelli said the rivalry helped. “Sabastian hasn’t reached his maximum potential,” he told The Guardian, adding that a sub-1:59 clocking is possible on a faster course such as Berlin or Chicago. Kiplimo, too, has declared that 1:58 is within reach. For now, Sawe has returned to Kenya to a hero’s welcome, greeted at Nairobi’s airport by fans and presented with a vehicle by President William Ruto.aljazeera