{"id":12296,"date":"2026-04-28T08:42:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T01:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=12296"},"modified":"2026-04-28T08:42:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T01:42:39","slug":"how-two-men-smashed-through-a-marathon-barrier-long-thought-unbreakable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/how-two-men-smashed-through-a-marathon-barrier-long-thought-unbreakable\/","title":{"rendered":"How two men smashed through a marathon barrier long thought\u00a0unbreakable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On May 6 1954, Sir Roger Bannister did what was deemed impossible in athletics: he ran a mile in less than four minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The milestone was celebrated worldwide, not just by athletics fans. It was considered at the time to be a similar achievement to scaling Mount Everest for the first time, which Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay had done the year before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Sunday, Kenya\u2019s Sabastian Sawe and Ethiopia\u2019s Yomif Kejelcha achieved a breakthrough comparable to Bannister\u2019s some 72 years ago: running the 42 kilometres of a marathon in less than two hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s break down this new benchmark and work out how these athletes were able to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">OMG.<br><br>\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddea Sabastian Sawe becomes the first man ever to break 2 hours in a marathon (legal conditions) in 1:59:30 at the London Marathon!<br><br>Yomif Kejelcha \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf9 runs 1:59:41 in his DEBUT. <br><br>Jacob Kiplimo \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddec takes third in 2:00:28<br><br>All under the previous WR. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gckgmac5Hd\">pic.twitter.com\/gckgmac5Hd<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisChavez\/status\/2048357328894759363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 26, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happened in London?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sawe smashed the men\u2019s world record by an astonishing 65 seconds in winning the event in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kejelcha \u2013 remarkably running in his first marathon \u2013 also crossed the line in under two hours (1:59:41).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The race was blisteringly fast. Even third-place getter Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda broke the previous world record \u2013 set in 2023 by Kenya\u2019s Kelvin Kiptum in the United States \u2013 by seven seconds (finishing in 2:00:28).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sawe ran quicker as the marathon went on, covering the second half of the race in 59:01. He pulled clear of Kejelcha after about 30 kilometres and made his solo break in the final two kilometres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXl9EWZDMoG\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXl9EWZDMoG\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DXl9EWZDMoG\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\">A post shared by TCS London Marathon (@londonmarathon)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>After the race, Sawe said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I\u2019ve made history today in London, and for the next generation I\u2019ve shown them that nothing is impossible. Everything is possible, with a matter of time.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The training and nutrition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sawe\u2019s team said he trained by running up to 240 kilometres a week and fuelled himself before the race with bread and honey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This reported training volume is likely an important factor in running a sub two-hour marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running up to 240 kilometres a week is beyond what most runners can tolerate. But high training volume, especially when much of it is done at relatively low intensity, is associated with faster marathon performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nutrition during the race was also well planned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A two-hour marathon is run at such high intensity that carbohydrate intake becomes important to maintain performance. The body stores carbohydrate in the muscles and liver but those stores are limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to his nutrition team, Sawe took a carbohydrate drink and a gel leading up to the start, then used carbohydrate drinks and gels throughout the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His reported intake averaged about 115 grams of carbohydrate per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this is not a recommendation for the recreational runner, at the intensity required to run a two-hour marathon, it helps to maintain energy supply and pace late in the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The physiology<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Sawe and Kejelcha\u2019s laboratory data are not public, the physiology required to run a fast marathon is due to three main attributes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>an exceptional capacity to take in and use oxygen during running<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the ability to maintain a high fraction of that capacity for prolonged periods<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>an exceptional running economy, which means using less oxygen at a given speed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Exceptional marathon performances also depend on durability, which is the ability to prevent deterioration of these qualities throughout the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"734\" src=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/men-s-marathon-world-record-progression-over-118-years-1024x734.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/men-s-marathon-world-record-progression-over-118-years-1024x734.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/men-s-marathon-world-record-progression-over-118-years-300x215.png 300w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/men-s-marathon-world-record-progression-over-118-years-768x550.png 768w, https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/men-s-marathon-world-record-progression-over-118-years.png 1220w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about the shoe?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sawe and Kejelcha wore the lightest \u201csupershoe\u201d in history: Adidas\u2019 Adios Pro Evo 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Adidas says it is \u201cthe fastest and lightest supershoe ever made\u201d. It weighs less than 100 grams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supershoes can improve running economy by about 4% compared with conventional racing shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Adios Pro Evo 3 combines several features common in supershoes: very low weight, thick resilient foam and a stiff carbon-based structure in the midsole. The heel thickness is reported to be 39 millimetres, just under the 40mm limit permitted by World Athletics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While most runners benefit from supershoes, the effect is variable and not the same for all runners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers have suggested this is due to two ways in which the footwear interacts with the runner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly, the foam and stiffening element can affect the \u201cspring-like\u201d bounce of the body as the foot hits and leaves the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secondly, they can change how the runner moves, including how the foot and ankle work, how long the foot stays on the ground, and the timing of energy return. As such, a shoe may be capable of storing and returning more energy, but the athlete still has to interact with it effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exact benefit of the Adios Pro Evo 3 over other supershoes has not been independently measured, but even small improvements are likely to be important over a marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conditions in London also likely contributed to these performances. While London is considered to be a relatively fast course (although not as fast as Berlin), the weather conditions were close to ideal: between 13-17\u00b0C during the race, which is at the upper end of the theoretical optimum for marathon running but within the range associated with fast endurance performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A perfect storm<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As recently as 2017, a sub-two hour marathon was considered unlikely to occur for generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The best explanation for the performances in London is the convergence of many factors including exceptional physiology, years of high-volume training, efficient biomechanics helped by the use of advanced footwear, optimised fuelling and favourable weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/mark-connick-283086\">Mark Connick<\/a>, Postdoctoral Researcher in Paralympic Classification and Biomechanics, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/the-university-of-queensland-805\">The University of Queensland<\/a><\/em>; <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/queensland-university-of-technology-847\">Queensland University of Technology<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-2-men-smashed-through-a-marathon-barrier-long-thought-unbreakable-281522\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On May 6 1954, Sir Roger Bannister did what was deemed impossible in athletics: he ran a mile<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[50,137],"class_list":["post-12296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-athletics","tag-marathon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe.jpg",2000,1131,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-300x170.jpg",300,170,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-768x434.jpg",640,362,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-1024x579.jpg",640,362,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-1536x869.jpg",1536,869,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe.jpg",2000,1131,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/science\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Science<\/a>","tag_info":"Science","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Sawe.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12296"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12303,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12296\/revisions\/12303"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}