The London Marathon 2026: Anything is possible

Sunday April 26. The London Marathon. Highs of 19 degrees, blue skies, and the sun creeping through. Near perfect conditions for the iconic 26.2 mile route, taking us from Blackheath all the way to the mall. It was a day for records to be broken.

This year’s London Marathon introduced a seismic lineup of competitors. Leading the pack, with the previous 2025 victory (2:02:27), included Kenyan great Sebastian Sawe (age 31), alongside Yomif Kejelcha (28) on his debut marathon. On the women’s start line was Tigst Assefa (29), four-time winner of World Marathon Majors. Behind them were 59,000 runners ready to take on the course. The legacy of marathon running was felt strongly this year – Assefa herself holding the female World Record from the 2023 Berlin Marathon, with 2:11:53. Officially, Kelvin Kiptum held the mens World Record (2:00:35).

The London Marathon 2026 became a world-famous day in athletics, with multiple record-breaking victories

Kipchoge’s unofficial record from 2019 stood at 1:59:41; however, it was disregarded as the course was designed and assisted to beat the record. The infamous sub 2-hour marathon, and the ongoing discussion of whether this feat was actually possible, especially on a course such as London, seen as more difficult than other courses like Berlin and Chicago, was within the realm of possibility for the astounding lineup of mental and physical talent assembled on the start line.

The Women’s elite race started at 9:05AM, with the men following roughly 30 minutes after. Just (under) two hours later, the London Marathon 2026 became a world-famous day in athletics, with multiple record-breaking victories. Tigst Assefa – after an electrifying final 400m sprint – smashed her own world record by around 10 seconds, securing a fresh world record of 2:15:41. For the mens, the top three had all obliterated the world record, with the top two achieving what could once only be dreamed of. In third place, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo beat the record by 7 seconds, securing a time of 2:00:28, while Sawe and Kejelcha did the impossible. Kejelcha flew in second with a world-record time of 1:59:41. And in first place was Sebastian Sawe, who gained the overall record of 1:59:30. An astounding performance, which reenvisioned the boundaries of what was possible.

What it says about running is that anything is possible

Tigst Assefa, World Record Holder in Women’s Marathon

Speaking after the race, Sawe was questioned rigorously on his methods of training, equipment and fueling. Both Assefa and Sawe wore the same ‘supershoe’ (Adidas Adios Pro 3) weighing 30% lighter than the previous model, whilst Maurten (gel fueling powerhouse in the running world) released Sawe’s race day fuel plan. Aside from this, both Assefa and Sawe commented on the mentality of running. “It was possible to run faster” was Sawe’s feelings about the race. He trains for about 200KM every week, with a strict focus on taking rigorous doping tests to testify for his respect for the sport. Meanwhile, Assefa’s strict training plan also paid off, with her realizing within the first 5KM of the race that her world record was possible.

Assefa also commented on Sawe’s victory, and offered a message of hope – “what it says about running is that anything is possible”. The 2026 London Marathon will surely go down as one of the greatest of all time. But with Assefa’s comments, the running world is waiting, with baited breath, for the next, bigger and even more astounding challenge.