Sabastian Sawe's story is incredible — and it's not about his shoes 

Joyce Fegan asks, what message will we take away from the Kenyan runner's history-defining moment?

If a picture paints a thousand words, the photo of a black and white Adidas shoe, with Sawe's 1:59.30 time scrawled in sharpie on the side of the sole might compete for first place. Photo: John Walton/PA

Every runner has a why, a message they carry.

So, when 31-year-old Kenyan Sabastian Sawe crossed the finish line of the 2026 London Marathon in exactly 1 hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds last week — making history as the first human to finish an official 42-km marathon race in under two hours, what message reverberated around the world?