'The Miracle of $500': No Human Like This, How Did He Break the Historic '2-Hour Marathon Wall'?... 'Heaven Helped'

*This content was translated by AI.

A new human has emerged, breaking the 2nd-hour marathon wall for the first time in history. The miraculous race by Sabastian Sawe (30, Kenya) has been a hot topic day after day.

On the 26th (Korea time), Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon held in London, UK, with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds.

Sawe is the first person in marathon history to cross the finish line in less than two hours. He shaved off a staggering 65 seconds from the previous world record of 2 hours and 35 seconds set by Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya).

The race that day heralded a new era for marathons. Not only the winner Sawe, but also Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, who took second place with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 41 seconds, posted a sub-2-hour time. All three athletes who stood on the podium, including third-place Jacob Kiplimo (2 hours, 0 minutes, 28 seconds), achieved the incredible feat of surpassing Kiptum's existing world record.

Technological advancement also played a role behind the astonishing record. According to local reports, Sawe wore top-tier running shoes worth approximately $500 (about 730,000 won) during this race. Wearing these advanced shoes, Sawe displayed explosive speed and became the first athlete in human history to break the 2nd-hour barrier.

The weather also contributed to Sawe's record-breaking performance. During the London Marathon, thanks to perfect weather conditions of around 15 degrees Celsius, Sawe ran at a terrifyingly fast pace in the latter half of the race. He showcased an incredible pace of covering the final 21.0975 km in just 59 minutes and 1 second.

Furthermore, from the 30th km mark, Sawe formed the lead group together with Kejelcha, engaging in a fierce battle, and then made a explosive sprint with 2 km remaining to the finish line to surge into sole first place.

Sawe, who set a historic record, said in a post-race interview, "Today's result is not mine alone but belongs to all of us gathered in London," and "The cheers of the fans were a great help. Thanks to their support, I felt loved, and I was able to run happier and stronger."

Additionally, Sawe recalled, "I am too happy. Today will be a day remembered in my life." He added, "The start of the race was good, but my condition improved as I got closer to the finish line. I was truly happy when I checked the time after finishing the race."

Regarding Sawe, who achieved the first-ever 'sub-2', Reuters analyzed, "The record for completing a marathon in under two hours has been one of the biggest interests in the sports world for years. It was about redefining human limits." The outlet noted, "The temperature and wind in London were ideal conditions for running at high speed, paving the way for a new record."

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*This content was translated by AI.