He came, he Sawe, he conquered: Kenyan novice beats elite rivals

On one of the hottest days in London marathon history, it was a novice over 26.2 miles who played it coolest of all.

- Sean Ingle

As temperatures climbed towards 20C, almost everyone in the elite men's field - including Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest ever, and the Olympic champion Tamirat Tola - slowed at the 30km drinks station to grab their bottles and quench their thirst.

However, one athlete, Sabastian Sawe, decided water could wait and in only his second marathon the 29-year-old Kenyan summoned a kick so devastating that he left everyone else floundering within seconds. "I saw that I had an opportunity to push and I did," Sawe said after crossing the line in 2hr 2min 27sec, the second quickest time in London marathon history.

It was not just the sudden injection of pace that caught everybody by surprise. It was the staggering 13min 56sec surge between 30km and 35km that followed. To put that time into context, it is just 12sec slower than the world record for a 5km parkrun, set by the Irish international runner Nick Griggs.

What makes Sawe's story even more extraordinary is that he only started training seriously in his early 20s and began competing extensively on the international circuit at 27. "My focus was education first, and then I run," he said. "I think the secret is training and discipline and trusting the process. With that everything is possible."