Train hard, run clean, win clean: Sabastian Sawe tells budding athletes

World marathon record holder, Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, has urged local athletes to work hard in training, and to shun banned performance-enhancing substances in athletics.

While noting that success in sports requires patience and hard work, Sawe, who won the 2026 London Marathon in a world record time of one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds on April 26, advised Kenyan athletes to shun doping and urged them to practice clean sport at all times.

Speaking during a homecoming ceremony organised in his honour by Nandi County government in Kapsabet on May 4, 2026, Sawe said that self-discipline and consistency in training led him to breaking the world record in London Marathon.

“The good performance came through hard work, patience, self-discipline and putting my trust in God. I wake up very early each morning to join my training mates in morning runs, which is a common routine for preparing for marathon races,” Sawe said.

Read: You haven’t seen nothing yet, Sawe’s coach Berardelli says

“The secret is to always work hard in training, be consistent, and always run clean,” Sawe, who became the first man to run the marathon in under two hours in victory at the 2026 London Marathon, said.

Sawe gave those in attendance a sneak peek into his training regime, saying breaking the world record took three months of preparation, during which he would cover more than 200 kilometres in training in a week.

Individual goals

“I have run four marathon races. I run the first three inside two hours and two minutes, and I always believed that a record was achievable, but I didn’t expect to run under two hours mark just so soon. I know my performance has inspired other athletes to work towards achieving their individual goals and the next generation of runners, which is a good thing,” Sawe said, emphasising the need for athletes to follow instructions to achieve their goals.

Read: Inside Sawe’s training regime that yielded marathon world record

Sawe’s coach, Claudio Berardelli, said that the 31-year-old is one of the most tested athletes in the world at the moment, adding that Sawe’s management and sponsor Adidas arranged for the tests to be done owing to the cost implications.

Berardelli said Kenya has huge athletic potential, and Sawe’s performances will inspire more runners to do well.

“For the 22 years I have been in Kenya, I have never seen an athlete as talented as Sawe……. I’m not saying that the others are not talented, but he has something extraordinary, and we all witnessed when he ran under the two-hour barrier, which to me is still unbelievable,” Berardelli, who first came to Kenya as a student of Sports Science in 2004 and stayed on, said.

Former New York Marathon champion Ibrahim Hussein praised Sawe for taking marathon running to another level.

Read: Eldoret rolls out hero’s welcome for marathon record breaker Sabastian Sawe

“Nobody believed an African could win a marathon during my time. After watching other people win, I yearned to also win, and it was a dream come true years later,” Hussein, who became the first African runner to win the New York Marathon in 1987, said. He challenged local coaches to help produce the next crop of 10,000m athletes to end the decades-long medal drought for Kenya.

Athletics legend Kipchoge Keino challenged local youth to invest income from sports wisely.

Nandi County Governor Stephen Sang gifted Sawe a three-bedroom house for making Kenya proud.

“Sawe’s achievements represent discipline, hard work and sacrifice. This is well-earned. We celebrate your achievements as you join other Kenyans who have also made the country proud,” said Governor Sang.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.