4 min readUpdated: Apr 12, 2026 10:23 PM IST
Army havildar Sawan Barwal did what no other Indian marathoner has done for nearly half a century.
At the NN Marathon Rotterdam, a World Athletics Gold Label Road Race on Sunday, the 28-year-old from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, clocked 2 hours 11 minutes and 58 seconds to break the late Shivnath Singh’s marathon record of 2:12:00 set in 1978.
India’s oldest athletic record was broken by the long-distance runner making his debut in the marathon.
India’s top half-marathoner could have gone even faster but for the cold breeze at the Dutch port city, conditions Barwal isn’t accustomed to. It proved to be a draining effort for Barwal, who experienced two mini-blackouts with 20 metres left in the 41.195 kilometer race. The time Barwal clocked helped him to qualify for this year’s Asian Games. Barwal finished in 20th place, while his compatriot T Gopi (2:13:16) was three places below him in a race won by 2021 Berlin Marathon winner Guye Idemo Adola (2:03.54) of Ethiopia.
“My target before the marathon was to run 2:09:00, so breaking the national record was on my mind. The course was flat but after 35 kilometres, there was a cold breeze blowing. In the last 2 km, my head felt like it was frozen because of the breeze. I had put water on my head to remain cool, which is what marathon runners usually do but I didn’t expect it to be so windy. I fell twice with just 20 metres to go because of the effect of the cold wind on my head but was able to steady myself and finish the race. A volunteer at the finish line helped me get back up and continue,” Barwal told The Indian Express from Rotterdam.
Barwal, son of a car driver, is posted in Dehradun. He is attached to Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune but is a key member of Reliance Foundation’s Project 2:09, as the name suggests, aimed at an Indian finishing a marathon in 2 hours and nine minutes.
Sawan’s coach Ajith Markose praised Barwal’s resilience towards the end of the race. “Weather-wise, today was very good. At the beginning of the race it was around 14 degrees Celsius and at the end of the marathon it was around 22 degrees. But there were strong winds towards the end of the race. He was progressing at the pace of 2:09.14 (potential finish time) till 40km. But in the last two kilometres, his pace came down because of the cold wind. If he had finished strongly, he could have clocked 2:09 today,” Markose, who is leading Project 2:09, said.
Story continues below this ad
One of the criteria for an athlete to be added to Markose’s training group is “being a national medalist”. But four years ago, Barwal was yet to make a mark. However, during a V02 Max test (oxygen/aerobic fitness level) at a selection trial, he excelled. “Without much training his VO2 Max was very good. It was 79 ml per kg of body weight (80-plus for elite marathon runners). We started training him as a 5,000 metres and 10,000 metre athlete and he progressed to half marathon in which he is the national record holder,” Markose said.
Barwal could have had his marathon debut earlier this year, but before the Valencia marathon he injured himself after a fall. He has bounced back in style. Now, Barwal is confident of running faster and has set his sights on a sub two-hour and nine minute marathon.
“I have gained confidence after breaking the national record in tough conditions. I am thankful to AFI, ASI and Reliance for supporting me. Now, the mental block of 2:12:00 (Singh’s record) has gone and I am sure that not only me but other marathon runners in India will also be inspired to keep breaking the record,” Barwal said.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
