Sabastian Sawe of Kenya ran 1:59:30 at the TCS London Marathon on 26 April 2026, the first sub two hour marathon in legal race conditions, taking 65 seconds off Kelvin Kiptum's 2:00:35 from Chicago in 2023. In the women's race, Ruth Chepngetich's 2:09:56 from Chicago in 2024 stands as the outright record, and Tigst Assefa's 2:15:41 from London in 2026 is the women's-only record, set in a race without male pacemakers.
Sawe's 1:59:30 is about 2:50 per kilometre, or 4:34 per mile, held for 42.195 kilometres. Chepngetich's 2:09:56 is about 3:05 per kilometre, or 4:57 per mile. This calculator shows those paces next to yours, along with the distance gap between you at the moment the record holder finishes.
World Athletics recognises a women's-only record for races run without male pacemakers, alongside the outright record which allows them. Pacing changes what is possible, so the two marks are kept separate. Both are selectable here.
Further than most people expect, because the gap compounds over 42 kilometres. A 4 hour marathon runner is roughly at the 21 kilometre mark when a 1:59:30 finisher crosses the line, meaning half the race is still to come. That single number tends to land harder than a pace comparison, which is why this tool leads with it.
The figures here are the marks as reported by World Athletics at the time of each race. Ratification is a separate administrative process that can take months after a performance, so a very recent record may be listed as pending. Records are checked and updated when they change.