By Nyang’au Araka and The Guardian
For Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, making history as the man who ran a sub-two-hour marathon did not begin on the streets of London.
The journey to greatness started with grind of daily training, long before he won London Marathon recently.
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On race day, the 31-year-old Kenyan did what no man had done before in an official race, clocking 1:59:30.
But behind that moment was a routine as simple as it was punishing: up to 150 miles (241km) of running a week, a disciplined diet, and an unwavering belief that the impossible could give way.
His pre-race ritual was almost modest—bread and honey for breakfast. No extravagance, just fuel. Then came the execution.
“I have made history today in London,” Sawe said after crossing the finish line. “For me, I have shown that nothing is not possible.”
That confidence was built over weeks of relentless mileage. According to his coach, Claudio Berardelli, Sawe averaged over 200km a week in the final stretch of preparation, peaking at 241km.
“In the last six weeks he was averaging 200km and above,” Berardelli said. “When I saw how he was running before London, I knew something special might come.”
There were other marginal gains too.
Sawe raced in ultra-light Adidas Pro Evo 3 shoes—among the lightest ever made—and relied on carefully timed carbohydrate gels to sustain his energy deep into the race. In modern marathon running, every detail matters.
But technology alone does not explain Sawe.
Berardelli describes him as both “special” and still evolving—an athlete only four marathons into his career, yet already pushing the boundaries of human endurance.
“In 22 years of coaching in Kenya, I thought I had seen everything,” he said. “But Sabastian is something different.”
On the streets of London, with an estimated 800,000 spectators lining the course, Sawe found another gear in the second half of the race.
He leaned into the cheers, drawing strength from the crowd as he pushed through the pain barrier.
“I had courage to push even when the pace was so fast,” he said. “The crowd helped me a lot—they were calling my name.”
His performance has already drawn comparisons to Roger Bannister’s historic four-minute mile, with commentator Steve Cram calling it “absolutely incredible.”
Yet for many Kenyans, Sawe’s achievement feels both extraordinary and familiar—a continuation of the country’s deep-running culture, where success is carved out on dirt roads, high-altitude trails, and disciplined routines.
And perhaps the most striking part: Sawe may just be getting started.
His coach believes even faster times are possible, especially on flatter courses like Berlin or Chicago. The body, he says, is still adapting.
For now, though, the image lingers—a runner powered by bread and honey, months of sacrifice, and the conviction that limits are meant to be broken.
Editor’s note: The bulk of this story was first published by The Guardian.
