One of the defining moments in sport ever now belongs to Africa

The 2026 London Marathon produced one of the most extraordinary moments in sporting history: Sabastian Sawe completing a marathon in under two hours in race conditions. It was the kind of achievement that forces even seasoned observers to pause.

A sub-two-hour marathon means sustaining a speed of just over 21 kilometres per hour for the full 42.195 kilometres. Put another way, it is roughly the equivalent of running 100 metres in about 17 seconds more than 420 times, without stopping.

For anyone who has tried to run at that pace on a treadmill, even briefly, the scale of the feat is difficult to comprehend. It is not simply fast - it is relentless. There should also be recognition for Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, who was running his first marathon and also finished inside two hours, crossing the line in 1:59:41. In almost any other race, that would have been the headline. Instead, his historic performance was overshadowed by Sawe’s victory.

This was not the first time a human being had covered the marathon distance in under two hours. Eliud Kipchoge achieved the feat in 2019. But that run took place in carefully controlled conditions, with rotating pacemakers, precision pacing and measures to reduce wind resistance. It was astonishing, but it was not considered eligible for official record purposes because it did not happen in normal race conditions.

Sawe’s achievement was different. It came in a competitive marathon, on the streets of London, against other elite athletes. That is why it matters so much.

The women’s race also deserved greater attention. Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won and set a world record of her own, a performance that would usually dominate the coverage. She was followed by Kenya’s Hellen Obiri in second place and Joyciline Jepkosgei, also of Kenya, in third.

An accelerating trend

Together, the men’s and women’s races underlined a pattern that has become almost predictable in modern distance running: the dominance of Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.

Over the past quarter of a century, marathon records have been lowered by a succession of runners from the two countries, including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Eliud Kipchoge and Kelvin Kiptum.

Two things stand out. First, the rate of improvement has been remarkable. The fastest marathon time 25 years ago was around five per cent slower than Sawe’s performance. Second, the national consistency is striking. From London to Berlin, Boston to New York, East African runners continue to lead the pack. The question is why.

Part of the answer lies in history. Ethiopian runners first caught the world’s attention in the 1960s, when Abebe Bikila won Olympic marathon gold in 1960 and 1964, famously running barefoot in Rome. Kenya followed with its own rise in middle-distance and long-distance running, particularly from the late 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s. By the 1990s and 2000s, both countries had become central forces in the marathon. Another commonly cited factor is altitude. Many elite Kenyan and Ethiopian runners grow up and train in high-altitude regions, often above 2,000 metres. Training in thinner air can help improve oxygen efficiency, which becomes a major advantage when racing at sea level. But altitude alone does not explain the dominance. Body composition also plays a role.

Many elite East African distance runners have lean physiques, efficient biomechanics and long, light limbs that are well suited to endurance running. Then there is the daily-life factor. In many communities, running is not just a sport. It is part of childhood, transport and routine. Some athletes grow up covering long distances to school or while helping with family responsibilities. That early conditioning builds an endurance base long before formal training begins. Culture matters too. Success stories have created a powerful cycle of motivation. In Kenya and Ethiopia, distance running can be a route out of poverty, a source of national pride and a deeply personal ambition. The visibility of champions gives younger athletes a model to follow. The possibility of changing a family’s future gives the sport enormous emotional and economic force. The training structures are also distinctive.

Camps in Kenya and Ethiopia are often intense but simple: high mileage, group discipline, strict routines and few distractions. The environment is competitive from the start. To reach international level, runners must first survive an extraordinary depth of talent at home. Sawe’s own preparation reportedly involved weeks of extremely high mileage, including training loads of around 240 kilometres per week. That level of commitment reflects the wider system around elite East African running: discipline, endurance, competition and opportunity all reinforcing one another. The rest of the world is not standing still. Countries across Europe, Asia and the Americas have invested heavily in sports science, nutrition, coaching, athlete development and recovery programmes. Yet the consistency of Kenya and Ethiopia remains unmatched.

The achievement is not simply producing one champion. It is producing dozens of world-class athletes, year after year. The explanation is therefore not genetics alone, nor altitude alone, nor training alone. It is the alignment of many factors: environment, culture, discipline, opportunity, history and ambition.

The shoes

There is also another major factor behind the startling speeds of recent years: running technology. The contrast with Abebe Bikila’s barefoot Olympic victory could hardly be sharper. Today’s elite racing shoes are extraordinarily light, with some pairs weighing little more than a pack of playing cards. They also contain advanced foams and carbon-plate systems designed to improve running economy. The plate acts almost like a spring, storing and returning energy as the foot strikes and pushes off. Adidas has become a major force in this technological race, particularly in long-distance running. Its leading marathon shoes have helped shape the current era of record-breaking performances. Nike, once dominant through its own breakthrough shoe technology, now faces fierce competition as brands chase every possible gain in efficiency.

But none of this should diminish the athletes themselves. Shoes do not run marathons. Technology may help at the margins, but it does not explain the suffering, discipline and endurance required to hold that pace for almost two hours. Sawe gets the headline, and rightly so. Yet the broader picture is just as remarkable. In London, the standard was so high that every man in the top ten would have been good enough to win the race just 20 years earlier. That is the real measure of where marathon running now stands. The impossible has become possible, and East African runners remain at the centre of the story.

World Reframed episode 38. More episodes of World Reframed.

World Reframed is produced in London by Global South World, part of the Impactum Group. Its editors are Duncan Hooper and Ismail Akwei.

ISSN 2978-4891