The Kenyan Sebastian Sawe made history on Sunday (26) by winning the London Marathon with a time of 1h59min30s, becoming the first man to complete an official marathon in less than two hours. In addition to the sporting achievement, the strategy put in place to avoid any suspicion about doping drew attention.
The athlete’s sponsor decided to anticipate the scenario of questions that usually surround out-of-the-box performances – especially involving runners from Kenya, a country that has accumulated a high number of doping cases in recent years.
The solution was to fund a much more rigorous than standard testing program. The company allocated around US$50 thousand to Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the body responsible for anti-doping control, requesting that Sawe undergo an exceptional volume of tests.
In the two months leading up to the 2025 Berlin Marathon, the runner underwent 25 tests, including blood and urine collections, two to three times a week, including cases of double testing on the same day.
The logic was simple: if the record were to come, it would need to be supported by a robust track record. Despite having won the race in Berlin, the time of 2h02min16s was not enough to reach the goal.
In this way, the strategy was maintained throughout 2026, with the clear objective of shielding any historic milestone that would be achieved. And it came in London, when Sawe crossed the finish line and broke one of the toughest barriers in athletics.
More than ensuring victory, Adidas sought to ensure that there were no doubts about how it was constructed.
“As Kenyans, we have been facing challenges due to doping cases. So before the Berlin Marathon, I was tested 25 times, blood and urine, about two or three times a week. And in one day, I was tested twice, first thing in the morning and late at night,” Sawe said in an interview with The Guardian. “The main reason was to show that I’m clean and that I’m doing everything the right way.”
The stance reflects the context of athletics in Kenya. Of the 487 athletes punished for doping by the AIU, who leads the ranking of suspensions.
One of the recent cases is that of Ruth Chepngetichwho broke the women’s marathon record last year. She ended up suspended for three years after testing positive for doping, even after undergoing 14 tests throughout the season without any changes being detected.
