Vatican newspaper publishes profile of Sabastian Sawe, Catholic world record holder in marathon
June 09, 2026
» Continue to this story on L'Osservatore Romano (Italian)
CWN Editor's Note: The Vatican newspaper published a profile of Sabastian Sawe, the Kenyan runner who shattered the world record in the marathon in April, becoming the first to run a marathon in under two hours.
The runner, who attends Mass every Sunday and some weekdays, was born in a mud hut in a village without electricity or running water. Sawe said his grandmother “raised me with love ... That is how I learned to entrust my life and my hopes to God, striving to do His will.”
His school principal, who is parish council president, recalled that “as a boy, Sabastian was withdrawn; sometimes he would even hide in the school kitchen. Using the language of the Gospel, I convinced him that running could be his mission, because talents must never be hidden.”
Father Pius Tawei, his parish priest, said that “sometimes Sabastian volunteers to do work around the parish, saying that God has already blessed him enough. He even bought us a flock of sheep and is funding the project for a new, larger church.”
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