Sabastian Sawe’s training partners Amos and Benson Kipruto discuss the work ethic that led to something exceptional.

Tucked into the high-altitude hills of Kapsabet is where you can find 2 Running Club. Situated in Kenya’s Rift Valley, a region synonymous with producing some of the world’s best distance runners, it is home to a group of athletes who are striving for excellence. Created by Italian coach Claudio Berardelli a decade ago, the club is a place where its members train, recover and live together.

Life is simple. Early morning starts are common, with great emphasis put on teamwork, the bond between the athletes and community in the surrounding area.

The capital of Nandi County, Kapsabet sits at an altitude of approximately 2000m/6560 feet. A six-hour drive north-west from Nairobi, the environment is largely tranquil. Trails and trees surround the town, with elites, novices and amateur runners all sharing the same roads and hills.

Sabastian Sawe knows it well. He grew up about an hour’s drive from Kapsabet – in a village called Barsombe in the Rift Valley – and it’s where the 31-year-old was able to craft the world record-breaking performance of 1:59:30 that has been headline news.

He has been with the 2 Running Club since 2020 and, according to two of his training partners, that run did not come as a complete surprise. Amos and Benson Kipruto know Sawe well. World class athletes in their own right, the pair have won multiple marathon majors and, with respective personal bests of 2:01:39 and 2:02:16, currently lie sixth and ninth on the all-time standings.

The trio are part of a wider training group that also includes Olympic 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi, world under-20 1500m record-holder Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech and Berlin runner-up Cybrian Kotut, amongst others. But, regardless of accolades, everyone is treated equally and the power of camaraderie cannot be understated.

“The successes we have are largely down to the community we have in the camp,” Benson says. “We have philosophies centred around discipline, commitment and trust for each other. It is good for us to run here but we all have different perspectives. In Nandi County running is normal. But for someone coming into the camp from the outside, you might have a different view and you go: ‘Wow, people are running all over’. For us it is a career.”

Days normally start at 5am. Depending on the type of run, the group will usually be out on the trails between 6-7am, before coming back for a quick shower and breakfast.

“We will have Kenyan tea, a banana, bread and eggs,” Benson adds. “And then maybe a mango or an orange. For lunch, which is usually around 12-1pm, we usually eat a mix of rice, beans and potatoes. The rest of the day will largely depend on what you’ve got planned individually. You could have a second run that afternoon or in the evening. It also depends at what time of the season you are in.

“Around 5pm everyone has another cup of tea and then it’s dinner at around 7.30pm. We eat ugali [thick porridge made from white maize meal cooked in water or milk], managu [a traditional African vegetable rich in iron] and a variety of meat.”

The celebrated delicacy however is mursik, a fermented drink made from cow or goat milk that is a cultural cornerstone for the Kalenjin community, that primarily inhabits the southern Rift Valley.

While Benson watched Sawe’s sub-two-hour marathon from Kapsabet – the four-time marathon major champion finished third in Boston with 2:02:50 a week earlier – Amos was right in the thick of the action in London, placing fourth with 2:01:39 behind Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha (1:59:41) and Jacob Kiplimo (2:00:28), who all went under the late Kelvin Kiptum’s world record of 2:00:35.

Even though he thought Sawe would break the two-hour barrier in his career, Amos didn’t think it would happen in London this year. After going over through halfway with the leading pack in 60:29, however, that mindset changed.

“After I saw the time on the leading car, I thought: ‘Wow we are running fast’. When I spoke to Sabastian after the finish line and he said: ‘1:59:30’, I was happy, as this is a person I train with and know well. It’s a great moment for our group.

“For an individual to break the world record, you need to have strong teamwork behind the scenes. If you have that good morale then you have peace of mind. That gives you the best shot to conquer when it comes to competing.

“If you look at our group, not just Sabastian and myself for example, we have strong guys. We don’t depend on one person in training. We have a routine where we all take turns to front run in the group on long runs. That discipline comes from the culture we set, so huge respect goes to our coach.”

Both Amos and Benson were amongst the club’s earliest members and, a decade on from when they first joined, believe that the best is yet to come, with Sawe leading the way.

“I like how Sabastian is so calm,” Benson says. “During training he can go in front or stay behind and he’s quite a cool man. The way he approaches training is incredible.

“There was one session I remember in particular where we were like: ‘This guy is amazing’. When we were building up to our respective marathons, we ran a block of 25km with 5km segments.

“Within each of those segments, you will have slightly different variations, so you are increasing and decreasing the speed each time. During those variations we failed to keep up with Sabastian. We just couldn’t hold on to him.”

Amos agrees that Sawe leads by his actions and states that his persona helps inspire the wider group.

“He motivates you through his results,” Amos tells AW. “You think: ‘I must co-operate in this training’ as he has shown anything is possible. He was running negative splits in his preparation, so sub two hours was always going to happen at some point. I always tell myself that the body will achieve what the mind will tell you. If the mind tells you the pace is too high, then you will slow. It feels like a negotiation and Sabastian has such a strong mind.”

Amos and Benson made their marathon debuts in 2016 – 2:08:12 in Rome and 2:13:24 in Athens – and have witnessed the evolution in distance running over the last 10 years. There is now an undeniable belief that the world record will fall again, whether it be Sawe who achieves the feat once again or another of the growing band of brilliant marathon runners at the elite end of the sport.

“Kiptum’s mark [of 2:00:35] was there to be broken and this one will be as well,” Amos says. “I have been consistent in my career but running has evolved so much that I still feel I need to be patient to achieve even better times. I see the generation that’s coming after us and I think the world record will fall again. With Sabastian, we are there to cheer him, push him and support him in every way.”

So what time is possible by the end of the decade? The answer is unanimous. 1:57.

“It is coming, you will see,” Benson adds. “There is no limit now and it is not impossible anymore. The technology in the shoes and evolution in nutrition helps. So we will
see more sub-two hour marathons in the future – if not soon, then later. This is just the beginning.”

This article also appears in the Sub Two special edition of AW magazine, out now