The 2026 London Marathon, which saw historic men's and women's records on Sunday, ignited tremendous excitement among both participants and spectators.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe made history at the 2026 London Marathon, becoming the first man to run under two hours with a winning time of 1:59:30.
Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha also broke the barrier, finishing second in 1:59:41. Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo took bronze in 2:00:28.
The women's race delivered another historic performance. Defending champion Tigst Assefa lowered her own world record to 2:15:41.
Hellen Obiri, making her London debut, finished second in 2:15:53, while Joyciline Jepkosgei placed third in 2:15:55. It marked the first time three women have run inside 2:16 in the same race.
Behind the front‑runners, thousands of amateurs pressed on, cheered by crowds lining the course.
"It is really inspiring seeing everyone with such an amazing achievement. I think seeing everyone in the crowd, everyone's family and stuff," said a spectator.
"We're supporting my nephew Josh, he's running for Mind and he's about 23 miles in at the moment, so he'll be here soon," said another spectator.
Despite the physical and mental challenges, runners spoke of the joy of completing the race.
"It was amazing. It's the hardest thing I think I've ever done. I found Canary Wharf the hardest bit. I was good and then I hit the pits, but I was running with my best friend Jordan, and he could lift me up during that. And then I came back at the end and I could lift him up during the end. So, we work in tandem really, really well," said a runner.
"It was the best day of my life, honestly. Like it was just the atmosphere, and everything was incredible. It was hard, like right at the end I was getting cramped, but like, I had my friend with me. So, it's just, yeah, it was great," said another runner.
London Marathon featuring historic records ignites excitement among runners, spectators
