Sabastian Sawe completed the London Marathon in less than two hours
Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe made history on Sunday afternoon, becoming the first person in history to complete a race marathon (26.2 mile race) in less than two hours, winning the London Marathon in just one hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds.
Sawe — alongside second placed finisher Yomif Kejelcha— managed to achieve a feat that had been thought impossible for a great many years, by running an elite marathon race in less than two hours.
The pair beat Kelvin Kiptum’s previous record of 2:00:35, which was set in 2023 during the Chicago Marathon.
How much did Sawe earn after winning the London Marathon?
First placed finisher Sawe will now be paid back very healthily for his speedy efforts, as reported by The Sun.
The 31-year-old is expected to earn $1million (£741,000) in “contractual bonuses” for his incredible efforts.
Aside from sponsorship bonuses reported on by The Sun, according to the London Marathon’s official website, race winners are awarded with prize money.
The winner of the elite men’s race receives a rate of $55,000 (£40,754), there is an extra $150,000 (£111,148) provided to any runners that finish with a time below two hours and two minutes, and finally there is an extra bonus of $25,000 (£18,524) available for winners who set a new course record during their race.
In total, this means that Sabastian Sawe will take home an estimated total of $355,000 (£263,000) from the London Marathon.
Where do Sawe’s winnings rank amongst biggest events in world sport?
Although Sawe’s winnings are insane enough on their own — reaching a combined £1,040,000 when the reported sponsorship (£741,000) and prize money (£263,000) are combined — they actually wouldn’t even break into the top ten, when it comes the most financially lucrative events in global sport.
As shared by The Express, here is the world’s biggest sporting events, ranked by the prize money pocketed by the winner.
To make for a fair comparison to the London Marathon, the below list only contains sports with a single individual athlete as winner, and their prize money received.
The ranking relates to winnings during the latest complete sport season: 2025, as reported in The Express and other reputable news outlets.
In the cases of tennis Grand Slam tournaments; the French, US, Australian Open, and Wimbeldon, there is an equal prize for the winners of the Men’s and Women’s Singles titles.
Aside from the biggest events in world sport, Sabastian Sawe’s prize money of £263,000 would not rank higher than the biggest individual events in UK sport.
The winners of the World Snooker Championship and PDC World Darts Championship, both hosted on UK soil, each receive a prize of £500,000.
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