25 doping tests in 2 months: How the fastest-ever marathoner conquered time and doubt
Through injury setbacks and rigorous, self-funded anti-doping checks, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe delivered a historic 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, becoming the first athlete to break the two-hour barrier in a sanctioned race.
Kenaya's Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on Sunday to become the first athlete to officially break the two-hour barrier in a sanctioned race, taking 65 seconds off the late Kelvin Kiptum's world record.
The run followed months of unusual anti-doping scrutiny that Sawe had requested himself amid continued allegations around Kenyan athletics. It also came after a disrupted build-up, with foot and back injuries in late 2025 delaying his training before his return in January 2026.
In mid-2025, with more than 140 Kenyan athletes suspended in a wider doping crisis, Sawe and Adidas approached the Athletics Integrity Unit before the Berlin Marathon in September with a simple request: "Test me as much as possible." According to The Guardian, Sawe underwent 25 out-of-competition tests in the two months before his Berlin win.
Adidas committed USD 50,000 for the enhanced testing programme, with individual tests costing up to USD 2,000. The funding continued into 2026. Sawe said he wanted to show that it was possible to reach the top "doing it the right way".
Sawe said the tests reflected the pressure Kenyan athletes were under because of doping allegations. He described a schedule of blood and urine tests several times a week, including one day when he was tested twice, once in the morning and again late at night.
SAWE'S RISE
Born in March 1995 in Nandi County, Sawe grew up in a mud-walled home without electricity. His mother, Emily, and grandmother, Esther, shaped his early years, and his mother recalled: "Anywhere he went, he would run."
He lived a ten-minute run from Cheukta Primary School, a distance no one in his village walked.
His rise was not immediate. In 2022, he was hired as a pacemaker for the Seville Half Marathon, but instead of stopping at the designated point, he kept going and won the race.
In London, the lead group that included Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha and Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo reached halfway in 1:00:29. Sawe then produced a 59:01 second half. As Kejelcha's inexperience on his debut began to show in the closing stages, Sawe found another gear in the final mile and finished alone in Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes.
His preparations had been hit by a stress fracture in his foot and then a back injury in late 2025, leaving him unable to train properly for months. He returned to the roads only in January 2026, and by February his coach Claudio Berardelli said his "body responded" in a way that made the target seem possible.
After the race, Sawe turned to Kiptum, who died in a car accident in 2024 aged 24 and had been widely expected to be the first man to reach the mark.
"First of all, Kelvin was such a talented guy," Sawe told LetsRun.
"He lost his life. I feel sorry for the family. Today, it's another day in London. I just wanted to keep the spirit of how Kelvin would have run if he were here."
Kenaya's Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on Sunday to become the first athlete to officially break the two-hour barrier in a sanctioned race, taking 65 seconds off the late Kelvin Kiptum's world record.
The run followed months of unusual anti-doping scrutiny that Sawe had requested himself amid continued allegations around Kenyan athletics. It also came after a disrupted build-up, with foot and back injuries in late 2025 delaying his training before his return in January 2026.
In mid-2025, with more than 140 Kenyan athletes suspended in a wider doping crisis, Sawe and Adidas approached the Athletics Integrity Unit before the Berlin Marathon in September with a simple request: "Test me as much as possible." According to The Guardian, Sawe underwent 25 out-of-competition tests in the two months before his Berlin win.
Adidas committed USD 50,000 for the enhanced testing programme, with individual tests costing up to USD 2,000. The funding continued into 2026. Sawe said he wanted to show that it was possible to reach the top "doing it the right way".
Sawe said the tests reflected the pressure Kenyan athletes were under because of doping allegations. He described a schedule of blood and urine tests several times a week, including one day when he was tested twice, once in the morning and again late at night.
SAWE'S RISE
Born in March 1995 in Nandi County, Sawe grew up in a mud-walled home without electricity. His mother, Emily, and grandmother, Esther, shaped his early years, and his mother recalled: "Anywhere he went, he would run."
He lived a ten-minute run from Cheukta Primary School, a distance no one in his village walked.
His rise was not immediate. In 2022, he was hired as a pacemaker for the Seville Half Marathon, but instead of stopping at the designated point, he kept going and won the race.
In London, the lead group that included Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha and Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo reached halfway in 1:00:29. Sawe then produced a 59:01 second half. As Kejelcha's inexperience on his debut began to show in the closing stages, Sawe found another gear in the final mile and finished alone in Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes.
His preparations had been hit by a stress fracture in his foot and then a back injury in late 2025, leaving him unable to train properly for months. He returned to the roads only in January 2026, and by February his coach Claudio Berardelli said his "body responded" in a way that made the target seem possible.
After the race, Sawe turned to Kiptum, who died in a car accident in 2024 aged 24 and had been widely expected to be the first man to reach the mark.
"First of all, Kelvin was such a talented guy," Sawe told LetsRun.
"He lost his life. I feel sorry for the family. Today, it's another day in London. I just wanted to keep the spirit of how Kelvin would have run if he were here."
