What next for marathon running after sub-two barrier is smashed?

It was arguably the greatest barrier still to be conquered in endurance sports but now that not one person but two have gone under two hours for the marathon, will the floodgates open?

The late Kelvin Kiptum with his 2:00:35 from Chicago in 2023 was the closest before both Sabastian Sawe and marathon debutant Yomif Kejelcha went under the fabled mark for the 26.2 miles in London last Sunday in 1:59:30 and 1:59:41 respectively.

In fairness the mark had been achieved once before too, by marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge when he clocked 1:59:40 in Vienna in 2019. But that was utilising technology and a non-race environment as part of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

‘We showed the world it was possible’

But now all three of those men believe the next progression will be even more rapid.

As Kipchoge pointed out on Instagram on the day the ceiling was smashed: “Today is a historical day for marathon running! Seeing two athletes break the magical 2-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together. My deepest congratulations to both Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha.

“Breaking the sub-two-hour barrier in the marathon has long been a dream for runners everywhere, and today, you’ve made that dream come true.

“During the INEOS 1:59 Challenge we showed the world that it was possible and it has always been my hope to see another athlete continue with this belief and break this magical barrier in a city marathon.

“Let this achievement inspire the next generation and remind everyone in the world that No Human Is Limited.”

‘Margin for more’

Sawe and his coach Claudio Berardelli are in little doubt too. Speaking on the London Marathon Events video which is embedded below, the latter revealed: “We started working on the idea of sub two at least a year ago but coming to London the priority was to win. You come to London to win what is undoubtedly the most competitive marathon in the world.

“We knew he had good pace in his legs but we weren’t expecting sub two. But Sabastian executed the race perfectly – after the pacemakers finished their job at around 30k, he had to take control and he did that perfectly.

“Personally I believe Sabastian has margin for more. This was only his fourth marathon. We speak usually of long-term adaptations in marathon running so time will tell us but I’m pretty sure Sabastian will run faster in future and I’m pretty sure we’ll see more athletes running sub two because this was a clicking moment.

“I’m sure athletes will now have the courage to go out on a fast pace and try and attack the two hours barrier, definitely.”

And Sawe agreed – when asked if there is a faster time in him, he simply replied: “Yeah.”

Competition drives times down

One of the key dynamics was the fact that both Sawe and Kejelcha were shoulder-to-shoulder for virtually the whole race. And the potential for improvement is obvious given they still have a total of just five marathons between them.

Kejelcha even described the pace as “relaxed and controlled” as he ran 1:59:41 for the most extraordinary debut the marathon has ever seen.

He said afterwards: “I thought I’d be more around 2:01 to 2:04, but my coaches believed in me.”

It’s going to be fascinating to see how not just those two but rivals such as Jacob Kiplimo, the half marathon record holder and third on Sunday in a time quicker the previous world best, now attack the distance in the coming years.