In a modest Gothenburg office building leased from the nearby university sit several meeting rooms named for today's standout distance runners. These include tributes to Eliud Kipchoge, Keely Hodgkinson and the newest addition honoring Sabastian Sawe, who recently pushed human endurance further than ever before.

When Sawe became the first athlete to complete an official marathon under two hours in London last month, reports centered heavily on his carbon-plated shoes. Yet on Sweden's west coast, a group of researchers, diet specialists and engineers at Maurten insist their contributions matched or exceeded that impact.

"We lack the loud marketing of major shoe firms," notes Olof Sköld, co-founder and chief executive of Maurten. "We stay low-key. Still, athletes and coaches at the highest levels recognize our role."

A survey of podium footwear at big marathons shows variety from Adidas, Nike, Asics and On. Yet among top finishers one element stands out: since 2018 every men's and women's marathon world record has come from a runner using Maurten products. Sawe's London mark of 1hr 59min 30sec continues that pattern.

In London seven of the top eight men held formal ties to the firm, as did five of the top six women. The remaining few may have used the products unofficially. At the sport's pinnacle Maurten products appear nearly unavoidable.

Weeks before Christmas, Maurten nutrition lead Tobias Christensson hosted Sawe coach Claudio Berardelli at the Gothenburg site. The pair had collaborated before, but the visit allowed deeper discussion of product details and fresh research findings.

Founded in 2015, Maurten first stood out by developing a drink that uses a hydrogel to carry carbohydrates. The original goal was better dental health through lower sugar and acidity, yet tests revealed stronger performance gains. The hydrogel shields carbs so they pass the stomach and absorb in the intestine, letting athletes take in far more fuel without typical stomach trouble. Christensson calls it a total shift in approach.

Sköld adds: "Early trials with top Kenyan and Ethiopian runners brought comments that the drink felt magical because it vanished. A 50kg runner notices every drop of liquid, so they sensed it simply disappeared inside."

While full scientific confirmation of the hydrogel remains debated, Christensson shared recent studies with Berardelli. One showed that a runner targeting two-hour marathon pace would exhaust glycogen stores in 85 minutes without added carbs. Maurten's fast-delivery method therefore becomes essential for record attempts.

Another advance followed. Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, has known performance effects dating back nearly a century. It counters acid buildup tied to muscle fatigue. Though banned in horse racing, it remains legal for humans, yet stomach distress kept most athletes away until now.

Maurten aimed at a bicarb product from the start, but only released one in 2023. Priced at £15 per serving, the system uses the same hydrogel idea to carry dozens of small bicarbonate tablets past the stomach. The gloopy mixture, somewhere between soft jelly and thick custard, is taken by spoon two hours before activity and must not be chewed.

After trying the product in Gothenburg, blood tests showed raised pH levels that supporters link to better high-intensity output. Growing reports from various events support the claims. For instance, 36 men ran a mile under 3min 49sec between 2023 and 2025, compared with just nine in the prior 12 years despite earlier shoe and track improvements.

On London Marathon morning, Maurten sports tech head Josh Rowe fed the latest weather data into his custom model. It predicted Sawe would finish in 1:59.29, one second from the actual record.

"The scientist in me calls it luck," Rowe says modestly, though his team gathered extensive data beforehand. Over 14 months they spent 32 days across six visits at Sawe's Kenyan camp, measuring energy use, lactate, running economy and carb oxidation.

During a treadmill session with a metabolic mask in Maurten's lab, the same data-gathering process was demonstrated. Results showed exact carb amounts and timing needed for a two-hour attempt, details relevant mainly to elite performers.

Sawe refined his race fueling over months of gut training. "The intestine acts like a muscle," Rowe explains. "Repeated exposure improves its capacity."

The London plan followed strict timing. Sawe took high-carb drinks in the two days before, bicarb sludge on race morning, a gel at the start, then 160ml of drink mix every 5km plus a caffeine gel at halfway. This delivered 115g of carbs per hour, well above earlier limits.

Sköld calls the post-London period "kind of insane." The firm already works officially with about 70 percent of major marathon elites yet has seen a surge of new inquiries. Roughly 1,000 athletes receive support, mainly runners plus cyclists and triathletes. Manchester's M11 Track Club, home to Olympic 800m champion Hodgkinson and world indoor 1500m champion Georgia Hunter-Bell, hosts a permanent Maurten staff member.

Plans are advancing to move from rented space to a new custom facility in Gothenburg. "It will feel like Willy Wonka, letting us shape our own environment," Sköld says.

Further products are in development, though details stay private. "We only launch items that shift the market," he notes.

Those at Maurten view Sawe's London run as the start of faster times ahead. "Expect some remarkably quick marathons in coming years," Sköld predicts.

Yet even with advanced formulas and data, Sawe began his record day with simple bread and honey. Some basics remain unchanged.