The new marathon world record holder, Sabastian Sawe, pocketed $268,000 (equivalent to Sh34.5 million by current exchange rate) in prize money and bonuses for winning the 2026 London Marathon on Sunday, but that figure could triple to $1 million (equivalent of Sh129 million) based on a contractual agreement with his sponsors, Adidas, among other partners.
Sawe, 31, collected a winner’s prize package of US$ 55,000 (Sh7.2 million). He will get to share $150,000 (Sh19.5 million) bonus with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha (1:59:41), Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo (2:00:28), and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto (2:01:39) as provided by competition rules for all competitors who run the race under 2:02:00. From that, Sawe will get Sh4.9 million.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe and Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa celebrates with their shoes after winning the men's and woman's elite race at the London Marathon London in world record times on April 26, 2026
Photo credit: Reuters
Sawe, who wore Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes that have super-fast foam and a carbon plate, relegated Kejelcha, who also wore similar shoes, to second place in 1:59:41. Nike athlete Jacob Kilimo from Uganda was third in 2:00:28.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates with a shoe after winning the men's elite race at the London Marathon in a new world record time of 01:59:30 on April 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
The first three athletes sliced inside the previous marathon world record of 2:00:35 set by Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. Fourth-placed Adidas runner Kipruto (2:01:39) missed the record by four seconds.
On Monday, a source at Athletics Kenya who is conversant with how the pay structure works said that Sawe could earn up to $1m (Sh130m) after his explosive performance, considering that Adidas shares on the world market rose sharply after the world record fell.
“A lot of negotiations between the athletes, his management and sponsors of several products take place before such major races,” the source, who sought anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said. “Usually, the agreements are mostly confidential.”
The source said that the stakes are normally high, especially if athletes record good times, having pitched for certain times in a race, including the world and course record.
“The discussion starts with the appearance fee, followed by other race bonuses. For instance, in the London Marathon, there is the normal prize money, course record bonuses, the world record bonus, among others,” the source added. Besides the course record bonus, male athletes who hit sub-2:02 time and female athletes who clock sub-2:15 in races get to share a bonuses of $150,000 (Sh9.5m).
“Sawe, Kiplimo, Kejelcha and Kipruto’s appearance fee in subsequent races will skyrocket,” the source said.
The source explained that athletes like two-time marathon world record holder, Eliud Kipchoge, who is estimated to be worth around $3.5m (Sh450m), earned more than $1.5m (Sh195m) in appearance fee, prize money, bonuses and other benefits when he broke the world, or course record.
After the race, Sawe held up his $500 (Sh65000) Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 trainer with “WR” and “sub-2” written on it in black marker pen.
The win is a boost for Adidas against arch-rival Nike NKE.N, after years of lab backed experiments and near misses, looking to build a so-called “supershoe” to break the record.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe celebrates after winning the men's elite race with second place Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha and third place Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo.
Photo credit: Matthew Childs | Reuters
Nike’s Breaking2 attempt at Monza in 2017 just fell short, though Kipchoge ran under two hours in INEOS 1:59 Challenge two years later. Yet those efforts fell outside the sport’s official record books. Using innovative foam and carbon-plated soles, and ultra-light components, the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 weighs an average 97 grams, 30 per cent less than its predecessor, and improves running economy by 1.6 percent, Adidas said.
“The Adidas family is incredibly proud of Sebastian and Tigist's historic achievements,” Patrick Nava, general manager at Adidas Running, said in a statement.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe crosses the finish line to win the men's elite race during London Marathon in London, Britain, on April 26, 2026.
Photo credit: Matthew Childs | Reuters
“This is a testament to the years of hard work and dedication they have made, alongside our innovation team”.
Adidas shares were up two per cent in mid-morning, although they are down 18 percent since the start of this year on concerns about the group’s exposure to U.S. tariffs and the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
Adidas released its Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1 trainers in late 2023, after Assefa set a new women’s marathon world record while wearing them at the women’s Berlin Marathon.
The third iteration of the shoe will be released for $500 (Sh65000) a pair exclusively via the Adidas app, with a wider release in the autumn marathon season, according to the company’s website, but the steep price tag puts them out of reach of most runners.
