Sabastian Sawe made history in London on Sunday, becoming the first person to run an official marathon in under two hours. The 31-year-old Kenyan crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, shattering the previous world record of 2:00.35 set by Kelvin Kiptum.
Sawe's achievement was described as an act of serene beauty and supreme destruction, drawing comparisons to Sir Roger Bannister's sub-four-minute mile and Usain Bolt's 100m world record. Two other runners also finished under Kiptum's old mark: Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha (2:00:41) and Jacob Kiplimo (2:00:28).
Sawe's performance was aided by the new Adidas Adios Pro 3 supershoes, which at 97 grams are the lightest in history. He earned more than $1 million from the victory, including prize money, appearance fees and bonuses, according to insiders.
Sawe grew up in a remote Kenyan village with mud walls and no electricity. He was so shy as a child that he would hide in the school kitchen before races, but a teacher convinced him that running was his fortune and future. He later joined the 2Running group under Italian coach Claudio Berardelli, who said the record was 90% Sawe's own doing.
Questions about doping have been raised, but Sawe's sponsor Adidas has paid the Athletics Integrity Unit $50,000 for extensive testing this year to demonstrate he is clean. Sawe himself said, 'I have shown that nothing is not possible.'
