History by stealth. It was always quick – it had been from the start – but no one had any inkling that one of the greatest ever sporting feats was even a possibility until just a mile of the 2026 London Marathon remained and a predicted finish time flashed up on screen. That the projection began with the number one was sufficient to make hairs stand on end.
We already knew Sabastian Sawe was talented. The Kenyan had won all three of his previous career marathons prior to this – including in London last year – and was the favourite to triumph again on Sunday. But, for so much of this race, victory was not even guaranteed. He had last year’s Ugandan second-placed finisher Jacob Kiplimo attempting to hang onto his super shoes and Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha – in the process of completing the most spectacular debut marathon in history – for company.
