Podcasts · LetsRun.com's Track Talk: The Home of Running and Track and Field

Sub 2 Happened & Did the Marathon Change Forever? Sawe 1:59:30 + 2:05 Shocker in Toledo

· 1 h 42 min

Episode Sub 2 Happened & Did the Marathon Change Forever? Sawe 1:59:30 + 2:05 Shocker in Toledo

0:00 1:41:50

Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon to become the first person to officially break two hours, with Yomif Kejelcha running 1:59:41 in his marathon debut to become the second. The top three all broke Kelvin Kiptum's previous world record of 2:00:25. On the women's side, Tigist Assefa defended her title in a women's-only world record of 2:15:41. Meanwhile in Toledo, Ohio, unsponsored 25-year-old Vincent Mauri shocked the running world with a 2:05:54 solo effort at the Glass City Marathon, making him the fourth-fastest American ever on a record-eligible course. The crew also breaks down Penn Relays drama, Cheptegei's marathon struggles, and whether Kipchoge's exhibition stole Sawe's thunder.

🎁 🎧 Join the Supporters Club for $5 a month with code GOAT50 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club — https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

1:59:40 Shirts on Sale!

LINKS

• LetsRun.com Sub-2 Marathon Recap • The Two-Hour Barrier Fell: How Sabastian Sawe Rewrote the Record Books in London • Rachel Bachman's Wall Street Journal Article on the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3 • "The Myth of a Sub Two Hour Marathon" by Robert Johnson (May 6, 2013) • The Myth of the Sub-2-Hour Marathon: Part II by Robert Johnson (April 27, 2026) • Vincent Mauri's Strava Account • LetsRun Thread: "Anyone Else Feel Kind of Deflated Now That the Two Hour Barrier Has Been Broken?" • McFarland/Penn State Instagram Taunting Incident • 1:59:40 Collector's Edition T-Shirts

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 Sponsor / Intro • 00:43 Sawe and Kejelcha Shatter Two Hours in London • 05:21 The Jaw-Dropping Second Half Splits • 07:57 The Adidas Shoe That Changed Everything • 15:50 Watching History Unfold on Race Morning • 18:05 Tailwinds, Pacing, and How Fast Can Sawe Go • 20:22 Why the Marathon Wall Has Disappeared • 24:37 Sawe's Final 10K and the Fueling Revolution • 26:52 Drug Testing and Sawe's $50K Clean Sport Pledge • 32:47 Does Breaking Two Hours Feel Deflating • 36:20 Did Kipchoge Ruin the Sub-Two Moment • 41:06 Will Sawe Be Remembered in History • 46:09 The Last Great Barrier Is Gone • 47:50 Cheptegei Struggles Again in the Marathon • 52:19 London Women's Race: Assefa Defends Her Title • 56:50 From Paul Radcliffe to the Vincent Mauri Bombshell • 63:23 Putting Vincent Mauri's 2:05 in Perspective • 71:18 The Backstory: How Vincent Mauri Did It • 77:24 Penn Relays: Oregon vs Villanova Showdown • 83:14 The Four by Eight Record and Taunting Controversy • 92:10 Quincy Wilson Leads Bullis to Historic Win • 95:20 Gabby Thomas Sub-11 and the Retro Marathon Proposal

CONTACT

• Email: podcast@letsrun.com • Call or text: 1-844-LETSRUN (1-844-538-7786)

ABOUT THE LETSRUN.COM PODCAST

Since 2000, LetsRun.com has been the independent home of elite running. Described by the New York Times as the "influential website that serves as something of a superego for American running," the podcast is the weekly deep dive into the world of track and field and elite distance running. The show is hosted by LetsRun.com co-founders Weldon Johnson, a 2-time Team USA member, and Robert Johnson, a former Cornell coach who helped pace the marathon world record, along with award-winning senior writer Jonathan Gault. They provide insider reporting and unfiltered debate serious fans rely on.

Links in the notes 10

The episode on the publisher’s site

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.