I’m still trying to process what happened on Sunday. As someone who can barely break a 9‑minute mile on a good day — and usually lives in the high 9s — watching a human being run an entire marathon at a pace I can’t even hit for a single lap around the track feels like witnessing a glitch in reality.
And I say this as someone who knows runners. My wife, @unalunashop, is a world marathoner who has completed all the Majors. She runs in the 3:30s–3:40s, which is already an extraordinary level of fitness, discipline, and mental toughness. I also know people who run in the 3:20s, and those are seriously fast athletes — the kind of runners who train year‑round, who understand suffering, who know what it means to push.
But what Sabastian Sawe did in London?
That’s not just fast.
That’s not just elite.
That’s something else entirely.
He ran 1:59:30.
In an official marathon.
With real competitors, real conditions, real stakes.
He averaged 4:33 per mile.
That’s 2:50 per kilometer.
For 42.2 kilometers.
Most recreational runners can’t hit that pace for one kilometer. He held it for the entire marathon. And he wasn’t alone — the front pack was running times that would have been considered impossible just a few years ago. The consensus among coaches, physiologists, and elite athletes was that a sub‑2:00 marathon in a real race was still years away.
Yet here we are.
As a casual runner, I know how hard it is just to train for a marathon. Getting to the start line healthy is a victory. Long runs, early mornings, sore legs, mental battles — it’s a lifestyle. Running a marathon in 3:30 like my wife requires structure, consistency, and years of work. Running in the 3:20s is elite amateur territory. Running sub‑3 is rarified air.
But running 2:00?
That’s not just training.
That’s not just talent.
That’s a different category of human.
Elite marathoners live in a world of 140–200 km weeks, double sessions, altitude camps, lactate‑controlled workouts, and biomechanics so efficient they look like they’re floating. Their 5K splits during a marathon are faster than most people’s standalone 5Ks. Sawe ran 13:54 for the 5K segment between 30–35 km — after already running 30 km.
This is the absolute edge of human endurance.
And seeing it makes me appreciate running even more — from my slow miles to the world‑record pace that redefines what’s possible.
Below are the tables from Sawe’s race splits, converted into miles and kilometers. These numbers speak for themselves.
Splits in Miles
| Split (Mi) | Elapsed Time | Time of Day | Pace (min/mi) | Pace (min/km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| START | 0:00:00 | 09:35:01 | N/A | N/A |
| 3.11 | 0:14:14 | 09:49:15 | 4:34 | 2:50.3 |
| 6.21 | 0:28:35 | 10:03:36 | 4:35 | 2:50.9 |
| 9.32 | 0:43:10 | 10:18:11 | 4:37 | 2:52.1 |
| 12.43 | 0:57:21 | 10:32:22 | 4:36 | 2:51.5 |
| 13.11 | 1:00:29 | 10:35:29 | 4:36 | 2:51.5 |
| 15.53 | 1:11:41 | 10:46:42 | 4:36 | 2:51.5 |
| 18.64 | 1:26:03 | 11:01:03 | 4:36 | 2:51.5 |
| 21.75 | 1:39:57 | 11:14:58 | 4:35 | 2:50.9 |
| 24.85 | 1:53:39 | 11:28:40 | 4:34 | 2:50.3 |
| 26.22 | 1:59:30 | 11:34:31 | 4:33 | 2:49.7 |
Splits in Kilometers
| Split (km) | Elapsed Time | Time of Day | Pace (min/km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| START | 0:00:00 | 09:35:01 | N/A |
| 5.00 | 0:14:14 | 09:49:15 | 2:50.3 |
| 10.00 | 0:28:35 | 10:03:36 | 2:50.9 |
| 15.00 | 0:43:10 | 10:18:11 | 2:52.1 |
| 20.00 | 0:57:21 | 10:32:22 | 2:51.5 |
| 21.10 | 1:00:29 | 10:35:29 | 2:51.5 |
| 25.00 | 1:11:41 | 10:46:42 | 2:51.5 |
| 30.00 | 1:26:03 | 11:01:03 | 2:51.5 |
| 35.00 | 1:39:57 | 11:14:58 | 2:50.9 |
| 40.00 | 1:53:39 | 11:28:40 | 2:50.3 |
| 42.20 | 1:59:30 | 11:34:31 | 2:49.7 |
Run Your Pace — Every Pace Counts
Not everyone will run a marathon in the 3:30s.
Not everyone will run in the 3:20s.
And almost no one will ever touch 2:00.
And that’s perfectly fine.
Running is one of the few sports where every pace is valid.
Every mile counts.
Every step is progress.
If you can run faster, do it.
If you run slow, keep going.
If you’re out there moving, sweating, breathing, trying — you’re already winning.
Because the best pace in the world is the one that keeps you running.