LONDON — Sabastian Sawe, a 29-year-old Kenyan with just one marathon under his belt, tore through the streets of London on April 27, 2025, to claim the men’s London Marathon title in a jaw-dropping 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 27 seconds. The rookie, who only debuted at the distance last year, left a field of giants—including two Olympic champions—eating his dust. Meanwhile, British triathlon star Alex Yee, making his own marathon debut, crossed the line in 14th, clocking a respectable 2:11:08.
Sawe’s victory was no fluke. He made his move at the 30-kilometer mark, right when the lead pack slowed to grab water bottles in the warm spring air. Sawe? He skipped the drink, hit the gas, and never looked back. His 20th mile—a blistering 4:18, possibly the fastest ever in a marathon—cracked the field wide open. By the time he hit the finish on The Mall, he was a minute clear of second-place Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who ran 2:03:37 in his first marathon. Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso, last year’s champ, nabbed third in 2:04:20 after a photo-finish sprint.
The Kenyan’s strategy was pure guts. He negative-split the race, running the second half faster than the first, with a 5K surge between 30K and 35K in 13:56 that buried his rivals. This was only Sawe’s second marathon; his first, a win in Valencia in December 2024, saw him clock 2:02:05, the fifth-fastest time ever. Now, he’s the fourth Kenyan in a row to take London’s men’s crown.
Yee, the Olympic triathlon gold medalist, brought his own drama. The 27-year-old Londoner, known for crushing triathlons, tackled 26.2 miles for the first time on home soil. He started hot, hitting the halfway mark in 1:04:19, but the marathon’s grind showed in the final stretch. Still, Yee powered through, passing several pros to finish as the second-fastest Brit behind Mahamed Mahamed, who took ninth in 2:08:52. Yee collapsed at the line, a heap of exhaustion, but his time suggests he’s got more to give.
The men’s race was stacked. Eliud Kipchoge, the marathon GOAT, hung with the leaders until just past 30K before fading to sixth in 2:05:25. Olympic champ Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia landed fifth in 2:04:42. Sawe’s win, though, stole the show—a relative nobody outrunning legends.
On the women’s side, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa smashed the women’s-only world record, finishing in 2:15:50, 26 seconds faster than the previous mark set by Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir in 2024. Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner dominated the men’s and women’s wheelchair races, with Hug taking his seventh London title.
More than 56,000 runners pounded the pavement, from elites to charity fundraisers, in a race that saw no major incidents. Sawe earned $155,000, including a $100,000 bonus for breaking 2:03. Kiplimo pocketed $80,000. Yee, back on his feet, was already talking about his next shot at the distance.