Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawewe became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours during the London Marathon on April 26, 2026 [1, 2].
This achievement marks a historic milestone in athletics, proving that the sub-two-hour barrier is possible through a combination of elite human performance and advanced footwear engineering. The result shifts the benchmark for distance running and validates years of research into energy return and athlete ergonomics.
Sawewe clocked a world-record time of one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds [1]. He achieved this feat wearing a specialized running shoe developed by Adidas, which features a lightweight, thick-soled design [1, 2].
Adidas spent approximately three years developing the technology used in the shoes [1]. The company began a limited global release of the model on April 23, 2026 [1]. Starting today, May 1, 2026, the same model used in the record-breaking run is being exhibited and sold at Adidas retail locations in Shibuya, Tokyo [1, 2].
"We must update our materials and products every year," Yusuke Ota of the Adidas marketing department said. "I believe this is a world record and a first-of-its-kind result for humanity that we achieved together" [1].
The arrival of the shoes in Tokyo follows the immediate global attention garnered by the London race. The thick-sole technology is designed to maximize performance by reducing muscle fatigue and increasing propulsion, a trend that has increasingly defined professional marathon racing over the last decade.
“Sebastian Sawewe became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours”
The breaking of the two-hour barrier represents the culmination of a long-standing quest in sports science. By integrating three years of material research into a thick-soled design, Adidas has demonstrated how technical innovation can push the ceiling of human physiological limits, potentially triggering a new era of record-breaking in professional distance running.
