For marathon elites, a marathon training cycle is no ordinary training cycle. It is not something that you fit into your life. It is your life.
Sabastian Sawe, the first person to run an official sub-2 hour marathon, is one such elite with a ‘don’t try this at home’ training schedule. A prodigious runner, Sawe has won all four marathons that he has competed in so far and sealed his place in history with his unprecedented performance at the 2026 London Marathon.
Here, Claudio Berardelli, Sawe’s coach, shares what a typical 10-day training cycle looks like for the athlete. While some parts look relatable, it is anything but amateur...
Sebastian Sawe’s 10-day training cycle
Day one
Long run, progressing from 25km on gravel to 40km on asphalt. Prior to race day, Sawe will do two 40km runs. For context, before last year’s London Marathon, he ran these sessions in 2:08, then 2:04.
Days two and three
Double days, encompassing 20km each morning and 10K each afternoon.
Day four
Fartlek or short interval session – roughly 8-16km long.
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Day five
Recovery runs.
Day six
Long interval session – roughly 18-25km long.
Day seven
Recovery runs.
Day eight
Hill work – 12-25 reps of 80m.
Days nine and 10
Recovery runs.
Adaptation for mortals
It goes without saying that, this isn’t a training cycle to repeat at Sawe’s mind-boggling paces. That said, fleshing out your training rota with plenty of easy runs and recovery runs, as well as some harder, well-structured interval sessions, is a tried-and-tested way to improve your speed and endurance without heightening your risk of injury. And while double days work for some runners who can tolerate them, don’t force them if they don’t suit your lifestyle or start to cause more harm than good. Just remember to listen to your body, slot in enough rest days and work at the right distances, paces and effort levels for you.
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