London, United Kingdom – 24th April 2025 | From Alexander Mutiso Munyao’s title defence, Eliud Kipchoge’s return and Jacob Kiplimo’s debut to Tigist Assefa’s clash with Sifan Hassan and the late addition of Vivian Cheruiyot – the TCS London Marathon on Sunday (27) is stacked with stars and storylines.
Many of the biggest names in marathon running will be racing in the World Athletics Platinum Label event this weekend, including six men with sub-2:04 PBs and seven women who have broken 2:20, four of them with performances under 2:17.
As well as Munyao, Kipchoge and Kiplimo, the men’s field features Sabastian Sawe, Tamirat Tola and Milkesa Mengesha, while Assefa, Hassan and Cheruiyot are joined in the women’s line-up by Joyciline Jepkosgei, Megertu Alemu and Stella Chesang.
Then there is the highly anticipated marathon debut being made by world half marathon record-holder Kiplimo, who will be joined by fellow debutants Alex Yee and Eilish McColgan in the UK capital.
Kenya’s Munyao won the men’s race in 2:04:01 last year and has twice dipped under 2:04 – both times in Valencia – setting his PB of 2:03:11 in 2023. He placed 21st in the Olympic marathon in Paris but started the year with a 59:16 half marathon win in Marugame.
In London he faces three men with faster PBs. Top of the list is marathon great Kipchoge, the four-time London Marathon winner and two-time Olympic champion who clocked 2:01:09 in Berlin in 2022 – a former world record that now places him second on the world all-time list.
Kenya’s Kipchoge last raced in London in 2020, when the event was held over a different course due to the pandemic. Prior to that he won in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019, and in the years since he has triumphed in Tokyo and Berlin. He returned to Tokyo last year and placed 10th before dropping out during the Olympic marathon in Paris, so the now 40-year-old will want to rebound on the streets of the city in which he has previously secured so much success.
The spotlight will also be on his compatriot Sawe to see what he can do when he contests his second marathon, following his 2:02:05 debut in Valencia in December – the second-fastest debut in history behind the 2:01:53 achieved by the late Kelvin Kiptum in Valencia in 2022. Sawe won the world half marathon title in 2023 and has a PB for that distance of 58:05, while he has also clocked 26:49 for 10km.
When it comes to the half marathon, Uganda’s Kiplimo is the current king. Now the world waits to see what he can achieve over double the distance. The 24-year-old ran 56:42 in Barcelona in February to regain the world record and take 48 seconds off the previous global best – the greatest single improvement on the men’s world half marathon record. He won the world half marathon title in 2020, has world and Olympic bronze medals in the 10,000m, and is a two-time world cross country champion.
He is in great company as he makes the step up to 26.2 miles. In addition to the previously mentioned contenders, Ethiopia’s Tola is the Olympic marathon champion and has a best of 2:03:39 set in 2021, while his compatriot Mengesha ran 2:03:17 when winning last year’s Berlin Marathon.
Kenya’s Timothy Kiplagat ran 2:02:55 when finishing second in last year’s Tokyo Marathon, while Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa was runner-up in both Boston and Chicago last year, and Dutch record-holder Abdi Nageeye won last year’s New York City Marathon.
Like Kiplimo, Olympic triathlon champion Yee makes an anticipated marathon debut in London. The 27-year-old won the British 10,000m title back in 2018 and ran 28:07 for 10km in Valencia in January.
Rematch for Hassan and Assefa
Two of the three fastest women in history will renew their rivalry in London.
Dutch star Hassan and Ethiopia’s Assefa secured the top two spots in the Olympic marathon last year, respectively getting gold and silver after a thrilling sprint finish that saw Hassan pip Assefa by just three seconds in Paris.
Now they return to London – Hassan for the first time since her epic marathon debut in 2023 and Assefa one year on from finishing runner-up to Peres Jepchirchir’s women-only world record.
Assefa sits second on the world marathon all-time list with the 2:11:53 she clocked when winning in Berlin in 2023. That was a world record at the time and saw her smash the previous mark by more than two minutes as she became the first woman to run inside 2:13 and 2:12. The world record has since been taken to 2:09:56 by Ruth Chepngetich.
Assefa also ran 2:15:37 to win in Berlin in 2022 and her time in London last year was 2:16:23 as she finished just seven seconds behind Jepchirchir. She will be looking for a similar performance this time as she not only goes up against Hassan, who has a best of 2:13:44, but also Jepkosgei and Alemu who completed the top four behind Assefa in London last year – the first marathon in which four women finished inside 2:17.
That 2:13:44 by Hassan was achieved in Chicago in 2023, five and a half months on from her dramatic debut in London where she overcame a series of setbacks to win in 2:18:33. She went on to finish fourth in Tokyo and become the Olympic champion in Paris, just 37 hours after getting bronze in the 10,000m and six days after another bronze in the 5000m. The race on Sunday will be her first since the Olympics.
Kenya’s Jepkosgei clocked 2:16:24 last year and Ethiopia’s Alemu ran 2:16:34 and they complete the sub-2:17 quartet contesting this year’s race. In addition to her third-place finish from last year, Jepkosgei won the 2021 London Marathon and finished runner-up in 2022, while Alemu won the Valencia Marathon in December and finished second to Hassan in London in 2023 and third in 2022.
Uganda’s Chesang was runner-up to Alemu that day in Valencia where she ran a national record of 2:18:26, and before that she finished eighth in the Olympic marathon.
They will be joined on the start line by Kenya’s 2018 London Marathon champion Cheruiyot who returns to the race for the first time in five years. More recently the 41-year-old multiple Olympic and world track medallist finished third at last year’s New York City Marathon.
Great Britain’s McColgan, the Commonwealth 10,000m champion, will make her marathon debut.
Jess Whittington for World Athletics
Elite field
Women
Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53
Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:13:44
Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24
Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:16:34
Stella Chesang (UGA) 2:18:26
Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:18:31
Haven Hailu Desse (ETH) 2:19:29
Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:21:56
Charlotte Purdue (GBR) 2:22:17
Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) 2:23:16
Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:23:21
Philippa Bowden (GBR) 2:25:47
Molly Bookmyer (USA) 2:28:52
Eilish McColgan (GBR) debut
Holly Archer (GBR) debut
Men
Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:09
Sabastian Sawe (KEN) 2:02:05
Timothy Kiplagat (KEN) 2:02:55
Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 2:03:11
Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:03:17
Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39
Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:04:39
Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:04:45
Hillary Kipkoech (KEN) 2:04:45
Amanal Petros (GER) 2:04:58
Sondre Nordstad Moen (NOR) 2:05:48
Yemaneberhan Crippa (ITA) 2:06:06
Andrew Buchanan (AUS) 2:06:22
Mahamed Mahamed (GBR) 2:07:05
Philip Sesemann (GBR) 2:08:02
Adam Lipschitz (RSA) 2:08:54
Jonathan Mellor (GBR) 2:09:06
Dewi Griffiths (GBR) 2:09:49
Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR) 2:09:50
Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) debut
Alex Yee (GBR) debut
