Sebastian Sawe
Kenya is celebrating after Sebastian Sawe made history by becoming the first man to officially run a marathon in under two hours. He won the London Marathon with an incredible time of 1:59:30, breaking the previous world record of 2:00:35 set by Kelvin Kiptum.
Sawe received a hero’s welcome when he returned to Kenya. His parents, government officials, and fans gathered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to celebrate him. His parents had traveled for six hours to be there. His mother said she was very happy and even “jumped around the house” while watching the race, while his father said he was too nervous to keep watching when Sawe took the lead.
President William Ruto later hosted Sawe at State House, Nairobi, and awarded him KSh 8 million, a brand new car of his choice, and custom number plates marked with his record time. In return, Sawe gifted the President the exact shoes he wore during the record-breaking race.
From the marathon, Sawe is expected to earn over $355,000 (about KSh 45 million) in prizes and bonuses. His total earnings, including sponsorships and performance bonuses, could go beyond $1 million (about KSh 130 million). His winnings include:
- $55,000 (KSh 7.1 million) – Winner’s prize
- $150,000 (KSh 19.4 million) – Sub-2:02 time bonus
- $125,000 (KSh 16.2 million) – World record bonus
- $25,000 (KSh 3.2 million) – Course record bonus
During the race, Sawe also broke several records, including his personal best, national record, area record, course record, and set a new world lead.
His achievement has now been written in history, making Kenya proud around the world.
