Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge is looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 season as he lines up for the 2025 London Marathon on Sunday.
Kipchoge, who is among the greatest marathoners of all time, will be competing in the prestigious race for the sixth time in the British capital, seeking to reclaim his dominance.
The London Marathon is part of the seven Abbott Marathon Majors, which include the Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Sydney Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon, and New York Marathon.
Kenyans John Korir and Sharon Lokedi won the men and women’s editions of this year’s Boston Marathon on Monday.
Having won 15 marathons and lost just three since he began his marathon career in 2013, Kipchoge,40, remains motivated to continue making history in long-distance running.
He famously became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours during the INEOS 1:59 Project in 2019, although the feat was not officially recognised by World Athletics.
In addition to his two Olympic marathon titles from Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Kipchoge has claimed 11 wins across the five major marathons.
Training out of Kaptagat in Elgeyo Marakwet County, he boasts an impressive record in London, winning the event four times—in 2015, 2016 (setting a course record of 2:03:05), 2018, and 2019 (setting a new course record of 2:02:37), which was later lowered to 2:01:25 by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
Kipchoge has also won the Chicago Marathon (2013) and the Berlin Marathon (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019). However, his last major appearance at the Boston Marathon in 2023 saw him finish sixth, and a difficult 2024 Tokyo Marathon ended with him placing 10th.
In a post on his social media page ahead of the London Marathon, Kipchoge expressed his excitement about returning to a race where he has experienced so much success.
“I love London because it is a sporting city and winning four times gives me more reasons to compete in the prestigious race and go for the best. I want to try and beat everybody else competing in London and my preparations have been good and I look energetic ahead of the race,” said Kipchoge.
“My goal is to win and run fast and also inspire the running generation,” Kipchoge said.
“The crowd is one of the most spectacular things because they always line up from the first to the last kilometre. It is so special to be on the start line waiting for the gun to go and run a beautiful race and enjoying it, eyeing good results and by the end of it make the world a running community.”
Kipchoge’s participation in London comes after a disappointing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics marathon, where he dropped out at the 31km mark due to waist pain that began around the 20km mark.
Despite pushing on for several kilometres, he ultimately had to stop, although hundreds of fans surrounded him afterward, eager for a piece of memorabilia.
At the Paris Games, Kipchoge had teamed up with Benson Kipruto, who won a bronze medal, and Alexander Munyao.
Initially, fans had anticipated a major showdown between Kipchoge and Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele on Sunday, but Bekele announced on Tuesday that he had withdrawn due to an injury sustained during his final preparations.
“To all my fans around the world, thank you for your support and encouragement. I will be focusing on recovery and I look forward to joining races once I’m back and in good form. I’m wishing the best of luck to all the incredible athletes running on Sunday, go out there and give it your all,” said Bekele on his social media accounts.
Other Kenyans to watch on Sunday include the defending champion Alexander Munyao, who clocked 2:04:01 to win last year, Valencia Marathon champion Sebastian Sawe (making his marathon majors debut), former Abu Dhabi Marathon champion, Timothy Kiplagat, and Hillary Kipkoech.
