With an estimated 800,000 watching in London, the 31-year-old Kenyan athlete became the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon in an official race as he powered home in the second half of the race to shatter the world record.
Afterwards, Sawe said he immediately realized that he had created a moment that would never be forgotten. “I have made history today in London,” he said. “For me, I have shown that nothing is not possible. It’s something that will remain in my mind forever.”
Sawe’s coach Claudio Berardelli hailed his athlete as a “special one”, as he revealed the secrets behind his success – including being even fitter than in Berlin in September when the heat had scuppered his previous world record attempt, The Guardian reported.
“In the last six weeks he was averaging 200km and above a week, while the peak was 241km,” said Berardelli.