SportsWEIRD NEWS
First official sub-two-hour marathon: 1:59:30 in London
Sabastian Sawe's London run took one minute and five seconds off Kelvin Kiptum's record; Kipchoge's 2019 sub-two was never ratified.
On air: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on Late Night BBNPublished
Photo: Leonhard Lenz · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNThe Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb. More about this Short
At a glance
- First reported by chinadailyhk: “World record was a marathon, not a sprint”, with reporting from Wikipedia, Marathon Handbook and Finishers.com.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 11:01 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte.
- Topics: London.
- BBN covered this story before: Volunteers help save one of London's rarest plants (October 20).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- chinadailyhkWorld record was a marathon, not a sprint
- WikipediaIneos 1:59 Challenge facts used on air
- Marathon HandbookFastest Marathon Time: World Records + Top Runners April 26, 2026 · facts used on air
- Finishers.com🏃 Marathon World Record April 26, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentDoctor Nina Byte. I've read the fine print.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentSabastian Sawe ran the London Marathon in one hour, fifty-nine minutes and thirty seconds, the first sub-two-hour marathon that officially counts.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentEliud Kipchoge ran one fifty-nine forty in twenty nineteen and it didn't count, because rotating pacers and a bicycle brought him his water.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentCorrect. That's the rule. Sawe also took one minute and five seconds off the old official record.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentTen seconds faster, and the bicycle still hasn't been cleared of anything.
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Photo: All-Pro Reels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: All-Pro Reels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Cramerwiki · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: All-Pro Reels · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Sewageboy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Dissident93 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
The story so far
- Week 6 Sunday: Cardinals, Texans win on last-second kicks · ESPN
- Glee reunion: Colfer joins Criss for Baby It's Cold Outside · Variety
- Whitehouse's errand: collecting medicine when mugging attempt happened · BBC
- London hospitals reveal bizarre 'foreign objects' removed from bottoms · London Evening Standard
- Volunteers help save one of London's rarest plants · BBC
- First official sub-two-hour marathon: 1:59:30 in London (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, October 25, 2026 · the Sports archive · all months
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