Who is Sabatsian Sawe? London Marathon winner and record-breaker

Sabastian Sawe made athletics history during London Marathon 2026. He not only won the event but came away with the first ever sub-2-hour result in an eligible race.

He ran the 42km distance in 1:59:30, smashing the previous course record of 2:01:25 set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Kiptum sadly died in a car accident in February 2024.

Sawe is a runner from Kenya, and is currently 31 years old.

If your interest in competitive running and athletics tends to peak for about 24 hours around the time of London Marathon, you may not have heard much about him compared to, say, Eliud Kipchoge. But he has quite a history.

Sabastian Sawe's Marathon history

Sabastian Sawe won the London Marathon in 2025, with a time of 2:02:15. That was his first time running London’s marathon. But not his first marathon win.

Sawe followed up his 2025 London win with a first place position at the 2025 Berlin Marathon. He won Valencia’s Marathon in 2024 too. He has won all four of the major marathons we has raced in, and is the first to win London Marathon two years running since Kipchoge managed the same feat in 2018.

Before that, though, Sawe’s focus was more on the half marathon distance.

Who is Sabatian Sawe?

Sawe was born in 1994, son to a farmer father and a mother who was a sprinter as a child. However, he talks about his uncle Abraham Chepkirwok as a key influence and mentor-slash-coach.

Chepkirwok was an 800m runner during his running career, most notably representing Uganda in the 2008 Olympic Games, held in China.

Sawe’s own training kicked up a gear in 2017, while his World Athletics history of wins began in 2018 in Kampala — running the 1500 metre distance.

What running shoes does Sabastian Sawe use?

Throughout Sawe’s marathon career, and before it, he has been affiliated with Adidas and has used the brand’s shoes across his races.

The Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 pair he wore during his sub-2-hour marathon were officially announced just a couple of days before the race itself. Their key feature is a weight of under 100g (UK size 8.5), which is radically lighter than the 138g Adios Pro Evo 2 or the 148g Nike Vaporfly 4.

During his previous marathon wins, Sawe used the Adios Pro Evo 2, in London and Berlin’s 2025 races. And the year before he won Valencia in a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 shoes.

If you want to try a pair of these world record-setting shoes yourself, good luck. Not only do the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 cost £450 a pair, but they’re likely to be in short supply once they get a wider release in time for (at least part of) the Autumn marathon season.

You can, however, easily pick up a pair of Adidas Pro Evo 2 trainers right now, also for an eye-watering £450.

• 10 of the best men's running shoes to smash your next parkrun: Top affordable runner picks

Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!