On 26 April 2026, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia stepped onto the start line of the London Marathon for the first time. He finished it in 1:59:41, the fastest marathon debut in history and the second time any man had run a record-eligible marathon under two hours.
Side by side until the final mile
For 41 kilometres, Kejelcha matched Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe stride for stride. The two pushed one another through perfect conditions, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo slipped off the pace between miles 18 and 21. Kejelcha later described the effort as relaxed and controlled — right until his legs gave way at the 41st kilometre.
Glancing at the watch, making history
With one mile remaining, Sawe took a commanding lead and went on to win in a world record of 1:59:30. Kejelcha, struggling, said he thought he would not make it. Then, close to the line, he looked down at his watch and saw a number that made everything else dissolve — he was going under two hours.
He crossed 11 seconds behind Sawe as the runner-up. The margin stung, but the clock told a larger story.
From indoor mile to marathon landmark
Kejelcha’s career had already rewritten the record books. He broke Hicham El Guerrouj’s 22-year-old indoor mile mark in 2019 with 3:47.01, earned a World Championships 10,000m silver in 2025, and set a world half marathon best. A marathon debut of this magnitude was not an accident — it was the product of six months of altitude training in Addis Ababa.
“I thought I’d be more around 2:01 to 2:04, but my coaches believed in me,” he told reporters afterwards. “I’m so happy and proud of myself. This is my dream.”
He stood on the Mall as the second-fastest marathoner the sport had ever seen. Quietly, a new road racing force had announced itself.
