Sawe eyes Kelvin Kiptum’s marathon mark at 2026 London Marathon
Kenyan marathon star Sabastian Sawe has hinted he could target Kelvin Kiptum’s marathon world record when he lines up at the 2026 London Marathon, building on his sprint-to-victory form from recent majors. Sawe, who won both the 2025 London Marathon (2:02:27) and Valencia Marathon (2:02:05), said chasing history remains a goal as he prepares for next season’s highlight.
Sawe’s rise has been meteoric: in his first major marathon in London he outsprinted elite rivals including Jacob Kiplimo, clocking the second-fastest time in the race’s history behind Kiptum’s 2:01:25 course mark.
Asked about going after the 2:00:35 world record set by the late Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, Sawe stressed patience and progress. “I can’t say I am preparing for the world record yet — but with time it will come,” he said, emphasizing race-by-race improvement as his focus.
His comments hint at a climactic 2026 season where Sawe aims to keep Kenya at the marathon forefront and push deeper into record territory, merging ambition with the consistency that has defined his brief but brilliant marathon career.