Sabastian Sawe broke the world record by more than a minute in the London Marathon and earned hundreds of thousands in prize money after achieving the huge feat
London Marathon winner Sabastian Sawe’s parents say their son has promised to build them a house and buy them a car. The new world record holder is also said to have vowed to finish building their church and help them to fly abroad.
Sawe, 31, earned hundreds of thousands of pounds after finishing first and breaking the marathon record by over a minute with a sub-two-hour time. Massive bonuses are coming his way from the organisers for his one-hour, 59-minute, 30-second run.
First place earns £40.74k in prize money. The top time bonus – for a sub-two-hour, two-minute run – is £111.12k.
READ MORE: Marathon world record time smashed at London Marathon as Sabastian Sawe BEATS two hoursREAD MORE: Awkward Gabby Logan moment slammed by BBC viewers after London Marathon history
However, there are also additional bonuses for breaking records. Finishing first with a course record time earns another £18.52k, while winning with a world record run triggers a £92.58k bonus.
Sawe has therefore earned over £320k from the organisers alone. Including contractual bonuses from sponsorship deals, especially after competing in the new Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3 shoes, it is widely reported that Sawe could earn up to £740,915.
Some of those earnings will seemingly go towards fulfilling multiple promises he made to his parents, Emily and Simion. They watched the race together from their home in rural Kenya.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page
His father, Simion, spoke of their surprise, telling the BBC : “I did not expect he was going to break the record – that really surprised us all!
“I was afraid the runner from Ethiopia (Yomif Kejelcha, who finished 11 seconds behind Sawe in second on debut) would beat him, but when I saw Sabastian pull ahead, I became so excited I started celebrating and did not even watch the end of the race.”
His mother, Emily, added: “I was very happy, I thanked God, I jumped around the house, I just didn’t know what to do, I was very happy.”
On their son’s promises, Simion said: “The truth is, he promised us that he’s going to build us a house…”
Emily interjected: “And he said he would buy a car, so we won’t be walking on foot anymore.”
Sawe Snr continued: “He also promised he will finish building the church here – and that he will help us fly abroad.”
His mother added: “We are planning to welcome him here at home, to have a celebration and a thanksgiving, because he has done wonders.” Simion explained: “We wanted to have celebrations for him before, but he said, ‘no, wait until I break the world record,’ so now we will ask him if we are free to go ahead with the celebration.”