A pair of African distance runners took down what was once among the most unthinkable records in sports on Sunday, shattering the long-unapproachable two-hour barrier in the 42.2-kilometer marathon.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds, bettering the previous men's world record by an astonishing 65 seconds.

He beat Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, who was running his first marathon and finished in 1:59:41.

"What comes today is not for me alone," Sawe said, "but for all of us today in London."

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda came in third, finishing in 2:00:28. That was seven seconds better than the previous world record held by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum and completed a podium in which all three men broke Kiptum's three-year-old mark.

According to legend, the marathon's distance is the same as that purportedly run by a Greek soldier traveling from Marathon to Athens to announce an ancient military victory.

On a relatively flat London course, on a mostly sunny 15 C day — ideal for running — Sawe ran a faster second half of the race, covering the distance in 59:01.

He and Kejelcha pulled clear after 30 km, then Sawe made his solo break in the final two kilometers. Fans showered him with loud cheers as he sprinted to the finish on The Mall.

"I think they help a lot," Sawe said, "because if it was not for them, you don't feel like you are so loved ...with them calling out, you feel so happy and strong."

Sawe, who came in as the defending champion in London, said it was a "day to remember for me", and thanked the huge crowds who lined the streets of the English capital to witness one of the greatest performances in a sport that asks a simple question: How fast can a person run?

A delighted Sawe said he went into the race, run in warm spring weather, believing he could break the two-hour mark.

"I've made history today in London, and, for the new generation, (it shows) to run a record is possible," said the 31-year-old, whose winning time was scribbled on his shoe.

"It depends on the preparation you had and the discipline you had," he said.

"So, for me, I think I have shown them that nothing is impossible.

"Everything is possible with a time and persistence."

Done before — unofficially

After Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954, the mark was lowered 18 more times until it reached the current world record: 3:43.13, by Morocco great, Hicham El Guerrouj.

The mile has been largely replaced by the 1,500 meters as the main four-lap race in major events. The marathon, however, remains a staple of world-class running and the two-hour barrier — a nice, even number at a distance that has been around since ancient times — has been in the sights of the world's greatest runners (and shoe companies) for about the last 20 years.

Kenyan long-distance great Eliud Kipchoge did, in fact, break two hours in 2019, but it did not go into the record books, as it was a specially tailored race — the "1:59 Challenge" — run in favorable conditions on a 10 km track with a stable of 41 rotating pacemakers. Kipchoge finished in 1:59:40.

Sawe beat that time by 10 seconds on one of the world's less-taxing marathon courses.

"The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running," Paula Radcliffe, a former winner of the London Marathon, said during BBC's live TV commentary of the race.

The first sub-2:30 marathon came in 1925, and the 2:15 barrier was broken 38 years after that.

At the turn of the century, the world's best time for the men's marathon was 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999.

Khannouchi broke his own record by four seconds in 2002 — the previous last time the fastest men's marathon was run in London — and it has been whittled down gradually over the last 24 years by a succession of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kipchoge and, most recently, Kiptum.

Now that the two-hour mark has been broken, a few other iconic track-and-field records to watch include Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters (2009), Mike Powell's 8.95 meters in the long jump (1991) and Marita Koch's 47.60 in the women's 400 meters (1985).

Miles in their shoes

Part of the lowering of the times is about improvements in training, nutrition and technique.

Another key element is the streamlining of shoes, defined through a battle of shoe companies who use carbon-fiber plates and other materials as part of an effort to make shoes lighter and springier.

There's been ongoing debate about whether the advances in athletic shoemaking amounts to "technology doping".

Seven years ago, Kipchoge wore Nike in his controlled sub-two-hour run. On Sunday, Sawe was wearing Adidas, which makes a men's size 43 shoe that weighs 96 grams — less than half the weight of an average running shoe, according to the Wall Street Journal.

"When you give them the box, they think it's a joke," Patrick Nava, general manager of Adidas running, told the WSJ.

"They think the box is empty."

Fastest women's race

A record also fell in the women's race, with Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 and defend the title in the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon.

However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Radcliffe in 2003, when it was a mixed race.

Kenya's Hellen Obiri was 12 seconds back in second place with a personal-best time on her London debut, and compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei was third, a further two seconds adrift.

It was the first time three women have run under two hours, 16 minutes in a marathon.

"I screamed when I finished, because I knew I was breaking the world record," Assefa said.

"I felt much healthier today, I have worked really hard on my speed and all my training has paid off."