NEIL HALL/EPA
Sebastian Sawe, from Kenya, poses with sneakers after winning the London Marathon with a world record and the first time under two hours, 1:59:30, during the London Marathon.
This Sunday, a Kenyan became the first man to complete the marathon in less than two hours. Second and third placed also surpassed the best time and broke other records.
Sebastian Sawe broke the marathon world record this Sunday, by winning the traditional London race. The Kenyan improved the world record by 65 seconds and became the first man to complete the distance in less than two hours in an official competition, with a time of 1h59m30s.
The runner-up, the Ethiopian Yomif Kejelchaalso crossed the goal in less than two hours (1h59m41s), and third, the Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo (2h00m28s), also completed the London marathon with a better mark than the previous world record, which belonged to Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum (2h00m35s) since October 8, 2023, in a race in Chicago, in the United States — months before in a tragic car accident.
The marathon distance, 42 kilometers and 195 metersis the same one that, according to legend, a Greek soldier traveled from Marathon to Athens to announce a military victory in 490 BC
“It’s a historic day for me,” Sawe said after the victory. “When I saw the time, I got emotional. Everything I worked for in the last few months today turned into a great result”, added the new record holder.
Kejelcha, despite not winning the race, also achieved an impressive feat: he achieved the best time ever for a newcomer to a marathon.
A secret weapon
Like many other sports, long-distance running has benefited from improvements in training regimens, nutrition and equipment — especially the lighter, more technologically advanced footwear that has been linked to faster performances over the past seven years. THE Men’s marathon world record, for example, has dropped by more than four minutes in the last 20 yearsand a similar evolution is also observed among women.
But there are few sports in which elite dominance belongs to a small group of countries in the same region. In the last five Olympic Games, athletes Kenyans and Ethiopians they won the majority of medals in running events from 800 meters onwards. In the men’s marathon, only two of the 20 fastest times ever were not recorded by a Kenyan or Ethiopian runner — in the women’s marathon, 18 of the 20 fastest runners are also from these two countries.
A crucial factor in this winning formula is linked to a mountainous region in East Africa known as Rift Valley. The majority of elite runners in both Kenya and Ethiopia originate from this region.
Scientific studies have shown that runners who live in cities and towns located high above sea level — especially those born there — develop stronger hearts and lungs when training regularly at high altitude and with lower oxygen levels.
This factor, of course, is no guarantee of success. There are countries with populations living at high altitudes, such as Nepal and Bolivia, which have not managed to achieve the same impact on the global panorama. What really seems to distinguish Kenyans and Ethiopians is also the way in which running is ingrained in everyday life these countries for generations.
