Sawe made his move when his rivals slowed down at a drinks station — opting not to take any water despite temperatures that crept toward 18 C (64) as the elite runners were finishing.
“I saw that was my opportunity to push,” Sawe said. “And I ran well.”
So well that the only rival who was able to give chase was Jacob Kiplimo, the half marathon world record holder who was making his full marathon debut. But Kiplimo was never able to get close to erasing the gap, and the Ugandan finished 70 seconds back in second place.
While Sawe is the fourth Kenyan runner in a row to win the men’s race in London, he is a relatively new name to the marathon scene.
The 29-year-old Sawe's only previous marathon win came in Valencia in 2024. This was his first start in one of the six marathon “majors” — Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City — but it's unlikely to be his last.
“It does give me hope that in the future, the marathon will be so important to me, and be so easy for me,” he said.
Sawe said he was a late bloomer as he focused on education in his youth before becoming a full-time runner.
“I think the secret is training well, with discipline and focus, and trusting the process,” he said.
Kiplimo's debut had been much anticipated after he shattered the half marathon world record by 48 seconds in Barcelona in February, becoming the first runner to break 57 minutes.
Kiplimo said he felt a bit of cramping during the race but was pleased with his performance.
“I'm so excited about what I did today,” Kiplimo said, adding that he realized he didn't have a chance of catching Sawe. “I knew that Sawe had already left. ... Unfortunately the gap was a little bit big.”
In a tight sprint for third place, defending champion Alexander Mutiso of Kenya beat Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands in a photo finish.
Assefa sets women-only record
In the women's race, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia secured her first London Marathon title after pulling away from Joyciline Jepkosgei near the end.
Assefa made up for second-place finishes in London and the Paris Olympics last year, finishing in 2:15:50. It was the fastest ever time in a women’s-only marathon — but 25 seconds slower than the course record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race.
The weather in London was a lot warmer this year than in 2024, which Assefa said was to her advantage.
“Last year I did have some problems with the cold, my hamstring tightened up toward the end of the race,” Assefa said through an interpreter. “This year the weather suited me really well.”
Assefa adds this win to two previous Berlin Marathon titles.
Jepkosgei, the 2021 London winner, was almost three minutes back after tiring near the end.
Olympic champion Sifan Hassan fell behind about halfway through the race and finished third, 3:10 behind.
Hug and Debrunner defend wheelchair titles
Six-time Paralympic champion Catherine Debrunner defended her title in the women's wheelchair race for a third London victory, beating her own course record by finishing in 1:34:18 — just two seconds off the world record she set at the Berlin marathon in 2023.
American Susannah Scaroni was second and Debrunner’s compatriot Manuela Schar third.
Defending champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men’s wheelchair race after holding off Japanese challenger Tomoki Suzuki.
Hug finished in 1:25:25, 44 seconds ahead of Suzuki. Jetze Plat of the Netherlands was third, while eight-time London Marathon winner David Weir of Britain settled for sixth.
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