Sebastian Sawe breaks two-hour marathon barrier

“1:59.30 WR SUB2.”

Sebastian Sawe, a 31-year-old Kenyan runner, wrote the message on his racing shoes after winning the men’s race at the London Marathon on Saturday. It marked a historic milestone: he clocked 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, becoming the first athlete to complete a marathon in under two hours.

According to the Guardian, Sawe’s performance was driven by a combination of intense training and carefully planned nutrition. In the six weeks leading up to the race, he averaged more than 200 kilometers per week and logged as much as 241 kilometers in a single week.

On race day morning, he ate bread with honey. The bread provided sustained energy through carbohydrates, while the honey, quickly absorbed, offered an immediate boost early in the race. He later took carbohydrate gels to maintain energy levels in the final stretch.

His coach, Claudio Berardelli, said Sawe stands out not only for his physical ability but also for his discipline and mindset. Watching his preparation, Berardelli said, suggested that something extraordinary could happen. He added that Sawe achieved what he had once thought impossible.

The shoes Sawe wore also drew attention. The ultra-lightweight model, recently released by Adidas, weighs just 97 grams per shoe, about the weight of two eggs. Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia, who finished second in 1:59:41, and Tigist Assefa, also of Ethiopia, who set a women’s world record of 2:15:41 to win her race, wore the same model.

조영우 jero@donga.com