On one of the hottest days in London marathon history, it was a novice over 26.2 miles who played it coolest of all. As temperatures climbed towards 20C, almost everyone in the elite men’s field – including Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest ever, and the Olympic champion Tamirat Tola – slowed at the 30km drinks station to grab their bottles and quench their thirst.
However one athlete, Sabastian Sawe, decided water could wait and in only his second marathon the 29‑year‑old Kenyan summoned a kick so devastating that he left everyone else floundering within seconds. “I saw that I had an opportunity to push and I did,” Sawe said after crossing the line in 2hr 2min 27sec, the second quickest time in London marathon history.
It was not just the sudden injection of pace that caught everybody by surprise. It was the staggering 13min 56sec surge between 30km and 35km that followed. To put that time into context, it is just 12sec slower than the world record for a 5km parkrun, set by the Irish international runner Nick Griggs.
What makes Sawe’s story even more extraordinary is that he only started training seriously in his early 20s and began competing extensively on the international circuit at 27. “My focus was education first, and then I run,” he said. “I think the secret is training and discipline and trusting the process. With that everything is possible.”
Second place was claimed by the half-marathon world record-holder, Jacob Kiplimo, who was 70sec back. Tola was fifth in 2:04.42 while Kipchoge, a four-time winner, was sixth in 2:05.25.
The leading British man, Mahamed Mahamed, was ninth in 2:08.52 while the Paris Olympic triathlon champion, Alex Yee, was 14th in his debut marathon in 2:11.08.
“My legs have never felt like this before,” Yee said. “There were definitely a lot more dark moments than in Paris today. Once I got to 32k-33k, there was a lot of pain there. My legs were cramping. I had to keep fighting through that, and I am pretty proud to get to the finish line. To be the second Brit is pretty special.”
However, one man who appreciated Yee’s efforts was Kipchoge, who texted the Briton before the race. “He gave me a punch on the back when he ran past at the finish,” Yee said. “It seemed like he had way more energy to go.”
The women’s race broke up quickly and soon there were only three out in front: Sifan Hassan, the Olympic champion and 2023 winner; Tigst Assefa, the second fastest woman in history and the Paris silver medallist; and Joyciline Jepkosgei, the 2021 winner and no slouch herself.
Everyone knew that Hassan had the fastest finish. But Assefa and Jepkosgei were determined not to let it get that far. One surge, just after 10 miles, briefly left the Dutchwoman 20 metres back. Another, before halfway, broke her.
Assefa and Jepkosgei were through 13.1 miles in 66min 40sec, but as the miles ticked by they increasingly began to watch each other rather than the clock. But Assefa had plenty left in the tank to ensure that when she made her move after 23 miles it quickly proved decisive.
The Ethiopian took victory in 2:15.50, which was quick enough to surpass Peres Jepchirchir’s women’s only world record, which applies to races where women are not paced by men, by 26sec.
“When I crossed the line, I just felt extreme happiness,” Assefa said. “I was very, very happy to win the race. I really wanted to win today, and after Paris, where I finished second again, I really have trained hard.”
Jepkosgei was second in 2:18.44, with Hassan third in 2:19.00. However Assefa’s split for the second half of the race – 69min 10sec – showed how much the pace slowed.
Eilish McColgan was the leading British female athlete, finishing eighth in 2:24.25 to beat her mother Liz’s personal best by more than two minutes – although, as she conceded, things are very different these days.
“Shoe technology is a world apart from my mum’s era,” she said. “My mother drank water and flat coke to get around, so you can’t compare like for like. I’m obviously still happy to break my mum’s record but it is different.”
“I’m a bit shocked at how bad I felt at about 5km and 10km,” McColgan said. “But what I’m most proud of is that I ground it out and still managed to run a Scottish record and be first Brit as well.”
