When Eliud Kipchoge ran a sub two-hour marathon seven years ago, it sparked an explosion of national pride in his home country, Kenya, as the culmination of more than half a century of distance-running dominance.
But there was an asterisk.
Mr. Kipchoge had run without competition and with a series of pacemakers, so it was not recognized as an official record. Now the milestone has been breached without an asterisk and, once again, it has been done by a Kenyan.
Sabastian Sawe came in a full 30 seconds below that once unthinkable barrier at the London Marathon on Sunday. He smashed the world record — also set by a Kenyan — by more than a minute. The reaction in Kenya has been euphoric.
“This is more than a win; it is a defining moment,” President William Ruto of Kenya said in a post on X. “Your triumph places you firmly among the greats of global athletics and reaffirms Kenya as an enduring force at the pinnacle of distance running.”
The achievement has resonated nowhere more than in the Rift Valley, which has yielded many of Kenya’s champions. Runners from around the world go to train in the area, part of a geographical feature that bisects the country from north to south, attempting to capitalize on the high altitude and the chance to train among the best of the best.
To make the point clear, Iten, a town in the Rift Valley famous for high-altitude training, welcomes visitors with an arch along the main road declaring it the “Home of Champions.”
Scores of runners and fans in Iten gathered in sports clubs and restaurants to watch the race on Sunday. They jumped and screamed with joy as Mr. Sawe approached the finish line. Among those cheering with the crowds was John Korir, who won the 2026 Boston Marathon and lives near Iten.
As he watched Mr. Sawe trying to hold off a rival from Ethiopia toward the end of the race, Mr. Korir said he was filled with national pride. “I didn’t want it to go to Ethiopia,” he said in an interview after his return from the United States. “I wanted it to stay in Kenya.”
Mr. Sawe’s sub-two-hour finish has inspired him, Mr. Korir said. “I felt like it could be me doing that,” he said. “For now, it’s Sawe’s time. I think my time will come soon.”
Mr. Sawe trains in the town of Kapsabet, around 40 miles southwest of Iten, but he is considered a local hero.
Kenya’s emergence as a global running power effectively began in 1968, when its athletes swept gold in the 1,500-meter and 10,000-meter events and the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Mexico City Olympics. The country has maintained its dominance ever since, in women’s as well as men’s competitions.
The promise of success, money and acclaim has yielded wave after wave of aspiring Kenyan athletes. Some aim to compete on the national team. Others look to lucrative marathons and half marathons held across the world. For others, the motivation is the possibility of scholarships abroad.
Lenias Kiptoo, 21, who trains in Iten, said he figured that someone eventually would break the two-hour barrier, but he had not expected it to come this year and so convincingly.
What impressed him in particular was Mr. Sawe’s demeanor after the race. He appeared “relaxed and calm” and did not even appear tired, Mr. Kiptoo said. A few hours later, Mr. Kiptoo searched online for more information about Mr. Sawe, as fuel to improve his own 1,500-meter performance.
Mr. Kiptoo said he has a personal best of 3:52, but needs to run 3:47 to be eligible for a scholarship to run in college in the United States. Mr. Kiptoo read that it took Mr. Sawe around six years to reach that level. “I need to give myself a bit of time,” he said, adding, and “train hard.”
Matthew Mpoke Bigg is the East Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
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