Lynch smashes Irish marathon record as Sawe breaks two-hour barrier in London

The Kilkenny man carved a whopping one minute, 46 seconds off the previous Irish record.

Sabastian Sawe next to the timer after setting a new world record during the 2026 TCS London Marathon. Pic: John Walton/PA Wire.

On a landmark day at the London Marathon, Kilkenny’s Peter Lynch has smashed the Irish record – the 28-year-old Kilkenny athlete clocking 2:06:08 to finish ninth as Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe obliterated the men’s world record to take victory in 1:59:30.

Lynch’s run carved a whopping one minute, 46 seconds off the previous Irish record, set by Fearghal Curtin in South Korea last October. Sawe, meanwhile, produced the greatest marathon performance of all time, carving an astonishing 65 seconds off the world record held by his Kenyan compatriot Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

Sawe’s run was also quicker than the 1:59:40 run by Eliud Kipchoge during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in 2019, which did not count as a world record due to the use of rotating pacemakers.

On a day of mild temperatures and spring sunshine, the race drew over 59,000 entrants and again proved why it is the world’s best marathon. The leading pack went through halfway in the men’s race in a fast but controlled 1:00:29, with Sawe taking the lead before 30K and soon pulling clear, with only Ethiopia’s marathon debutant, Yomif Kejelcha, able to stick with him.

The Kenyan kept cranking up the pace through the closing miles and only broke Kejelcha in the closing mile, reaching the finish line on The Mall in a stunning 1:59:30. Kejelcha was also well under the previous record, finishing second with 1:59:41, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo came home third in 2:00:28.

“I’m so happy with what I’ve done, it’s a day to remember for me,” said Sawe. “Finishing the race, I was feeling strong. When I saw the time, I was so excited.” Former world record holder Tigst Assefa claimed the women’s title in 2:15:41, a world record for a women’s-only marathon, with Kenya’s Hellen Obiri second in 2:15:53.

Lynch, meanwhile, had predicted before the race that he was in 2:06 shape and the Kilkenny City Harrier, who trains with the Puma Elite Running Team in North Carolina, set off with that goal in mind, passing 10K in 29:54 and hitting halfway in 15th place in 1:03:14, running with training partners Jack Rowe and Patrick Dever of Britain.

Lynch sliced through the field over the latter half and split a swift 14:50 5K from 35-40K, hitting the finish in ninth for what was, by some distance, the best run of his career. It’s the second time in the past year that Lynch has broken the national record, having clocked 2:09:36 to finish third in Dusselforf last year.

Lynch had come into the race in flying form. At the New York City Half Marathon in March, he became the first Irishman in history to break 60 minutes, finishing fifth in 59:52. “I think I'm definitely in shape to run 2:06 on the right day,” he said before the race in London. “It depends on the weather and the pacing group. I'd definitely be really happy with that if it happened.” 

Lynch graduated from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma in 2024 and has since been under the guidance of Alistair Cragg, who won European Indoor gold for Ireland over 3000m in 2005. Ahead of the race Cragg said he was “comfortable with a 2:06 effort” for Lynch and predicted he could run much quicker down the line. “To run 2:04, I think he needs time to learn how to become that runner,” he said.

Elsewhere, Hugh Armstrong was in action at the Dusseldorf Marathon, the Mayo runner coming home fifth in the men’s race in 2:13:55.