
Two runners broke the 2-hour barrier at the London Marathon, a milestone previously deemed unlikely by BYU coach Ed Eyestone. Eyestone had predicted that such a feat would not happen in his lifetime.
Mentioned in this story
Sebastian Sawe from Kenya celebrates winning the men's race at the London Marathon in London, Sunday, April 26, 2026. | /Ian Walton, Associated Press
A quarter century ago, as Ed Eyestone was retiring from distance running, he was asked when the world record marathon finish would break two hours.
âNot in my lifetime,â Eyestone said. âWhen you only have a few guys who have run under 60 (minutes) for the half-marathon, itâs going to be a long time before we get people under two hours.â
Sunday in London, two men pulled it off.
Kenyaâs Sebastian Sawe ran the 26.2 miles in 1:59.30 and Ethiopiaâs Yomif Kejelcha was right behind him at 1:59.41.
âApril 26th should go down in history in every bit of relevance as when the four-minute mile was broken in 1954,â said the former NCAA cross country national champion and United States Olympian, who back in his day, ran an impressive 2:10.59. âItâs pretty historic. The fact that two of them did it is huge.â
The arrival of such a record so soon surprised Eyestone, but the path to get to this moment has been evolving for years.
âWorld-class equipment, coupled with world-class athletes, world-class nutrition, world-class training and due to the internet, a lot of these secrets are shared,â he said. âItâs a perfect storm for marathon speed.â
Eyestone credits the biggest change to the shoe. Todayâs âsuper shoeâ weighs about as much as an apple (97 grams). The shoe Sawe ran his record run in was the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, which sounds like something NASA would come up with. Every serious shoemaker has a similar model.
The article mentions that two men achieved this milestone, but only Sebastian Sawe from Kenya is specifically named.
Ed Eyestone predicted that it would not happen in his lifetime, citing the limited number of runners who had previously run under 60 minutes for the half-marathon.
The London Marathon took place on April 26, 2026.
Breaking the 2-hour barrier is considered a monumental achievement in marathon running, representing a significant milestone in athletic performance.


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âYou will see everybody wearing that shoe. Itâs not just the weight, but the mechanics inside the shoe â the carbon-plated midsoul that gives more energy return and the foam provides cushioning,â Eyestone said. âIn the past, because you didnât have the mechanical advantage, it was more of a reality that you were going to âhit the wall,â now with the new shoes, nutrition and training â it makes it so you can run right through the wall.â
The BYU director of track and field and menâs cross country coach worked out his runners in the rain on Monday as the Cougars prepare to host this weekendâs Robison Invitational in the final primer for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
In the wake of Saweâs accomplishment and for his current, future and former distance runners â Eyestoneâs message is the same.
âI sent a text out to the guys after the double world record and said, âWell, that gives us another goal to shoot for. Weâve got to keep working. Weâve got to close the gap.â
BYU coach Ed Eyestone coaches from the stands during the 2024 NCAA regionals in Fayetteville, Arkansas, May 24, 2024. | Nate Edwards, BYU Photo
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts âYâs Guysâ at ysguys.com and is the author of the childrenâs book âC is for Cougar,â available at deseretbook.com.