Yomif Kejelcha of Group Ethiopia crosses the road and finishes second throughout the Males’s 2026 TCS London Marathon on April 26, 2026 in London, England.
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After Yomif Kejelcha crossed the end line on the London Marathon on Sunday, he was shocked by what he’d achieved.
Kejelcha, 28, ran a 1:59:41, crushing the elusive two-hour marathon purpose. Athletes have been striving to interrupt via that barrier for years. To make the story even sweeter, Kejelcha beat it in his first-ever aggressive marathon.
“That is so loopy,” he informed NPR in an interview on Tuesday from Frankfurt, Germany, the place he was nonetheless surprised by the accomplishment. “It is too onerous to imagine… I haven’t got phrases for it actually.”
Earlier than the race, Kejelcha mentioned in an interview that it was “not attainable” for him to beat two-hours in his first marathon. He even proved himself unsuitable.
However, right here comes the twist.
Kejelcha completed 11 seconds after Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe. Sawe was hailed as the primary man to run an official marathon in beneath two hours. Kejelcha accepted the title of second-fastest.
“I am not upset,” he informed NPR. “I am not offended. I am very, very blissful as a result of I broke two hours.”
“It is… an 11 second distinction, so I feel it isn’t too far for me to interrupt once more,” Kejelcha continued.
He and Sawe have a “pleasant competitors,” he mentioned, and he does think about the quickest marathon runner a detailed pal.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo additionally beat the earlier world file set by the late Kenyan, Kelvin Kiptum, in Chicago in 2023, however he positioned third with a time of two:00:28.
If it was a standard yr, Kejelcha or Kiplimo’s time would have been extraordinary headlines. However this yr was something however regular.
In fact, this isn’t Kejelcha’s first aggressive race. He’s a flexible runner and a monitor and street specialist. He set the world indoor mile file in 2019, broke the half-marathon world file in Valencia in 2024, and acquired a silver medal within the 10,000 meters finally yr’s world championships in Tokyo.
No matter what could appear to some as an inconceivable loss, Kejelcha mentioned he was feeling “nice.”
“To beat two hours, it isn’t straightforward,” he mentioned, and “each athlete who does a marathon” strives to attain it.
Forward of the race, Kejelcha informed reporters that he was going to run within the first group, however under no circumstances did he assume that meant operating the race in beneath two hours.
Typically, a “particular factor” occurs in races, he mentioned, however Kejelcha determined to be extra cheap with himself, guessing he would end at 2:03 or 2:02.
He’d been dreaming of the London Marathon for a very long time. His coach lastly agreed to present him a shot in 2026, Kejelcha mentioned.
“My coaching is basically nice, so far as tomorrow, I do not know what [is going to] occur,” Kejelcha remembers considering to himself.
All through the race, Kejelcha mentioned “100%” he and Sawe pushed one another. The runners ran facet by facet and so they dropped Kiplimo between 18 and 21 miles. However with one mile remaining, Sawe took a commanding lead. Sawe’s end time shaved 65 seconds off the earlier world file.
Kejelcha mentioned after 25 miles he misplaced his tempo, and he did not assume he was going to make it.
However near the end line, he seemed down at his watch and noticed he was considerably beneath two hours. Solely then did he assume it was attainable to do the “unimaginable.”
After the race, he informed Sawe congratulations.
1st positioned Sabastian Sawe of Group Kenya (C), 2nd positioned Yomif Kejelcha of Group Ethiopia (L) and third positioned Jacob Kiplimo of Group Uganda (R) pose for a photograph after the Males’s 2026 TCS London Marathon on April 26, 2026 in London, England.
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Nonetheless, he “after all” needs to beat his personal file after which Sawe’s file. His subsequent marathon will probably be 1:58, he hopes.
“It is competitors… I must beat it,” he mentioned.
Kejelcha mentioned he and Sawe set a “large instance” to gasoline the following cohort of runners. He believes extra athletes will beat the sub-two hour mark very quickly.
“I ran my first (aggressive) marathon in beneath two hours, so I feel it is an inspiration for younger athletes,” he mentioned.
Together with sheer willpower, Kejelcha mentioned a number of issues pushed him to the unfathomable record-breaking tempo.
First, the adidas Adizero Adios Professional Evo 3 sneakers, which weigh barely greater than a deck of playing cards. Kejelcha hailed them as “magical sneakers.” He mentioned they felt so mild he did not even understand he was sporting them.
Second, his coaches, who believed in him though he did not imagine in himself.
Now, “I imagine in myself,” Kejelcha mentioned. It solely took operating some of the coveted marathon occasions in historical past.
Third, his 6-month preparation at his coaching floor within the capital metropolis of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, which boasts a excessive altitude, together with the “superb climate” on the London Marathon on Sunday.
And eventually, his spouse’s cooking. (She helps him persist with his particular meals program, he mentioned)
Actually, Kejelcha mentioned, as a lot as folks need to imagine it, there is not any particular sauce.
“I haven’t got something, it is simply onerous work. Athletes all the time want self-discipline.”
Kejelcha mentioned he does not but have a plan for his subsequent race. However the half marathon remains to be his favourite run, regardless of discovering it a lot more durable than a full marathon.
“The marathon is way simpler than the… half marathon,” he mentioned, laughing.
Coming in second just isn’t as maddening because the web has urged it could be for Kejechla. He nonetheless walked away with the title of fastest-ever marathon debut, and he definitely doesn’t really feel upset about something.
“I’m very blissful,” Kejelcha mentioned.
