Revealed: The ‘insane amount’ Sabastian Sawe earned for his record-breaking marathon win

For just under 2 hours' work...

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.

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.

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.

Learn where it ranks against the most lucrative events in the global sports calendar here.