The London Marathon women’s race on April 17 has the hallmarks of becoming one for the ages.
The race will feature three of the fastest women of all time, world record holder Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya with a personal best of 2:09:56, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa (2:11:53) and Sifan Hassan (2:13:44) of the Netherlands.
The next two fastest women in the stacked field are Kenyans, reigning champion Peres Jepchirchir (2:16:16) and Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:16:24).
Save for Assefa, these group of likely winners are all training at high altitude in Kenya.
Reigning Olympics women’s marathon champion Sifan Hassan, 32, clearly intent on regaining the London Marathon title she won in 2023, has literally gone to train at the lion’s den.
The talented Dutchwoman arrived in Kenya last month, specifically at the over 2,400m above sea level Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet for her marathon preparations.
Iten, which was declared a World Athletics Heritage site in 2019, has been attracting many foreign long distance runners hoping to gain from whatever the world beating Kenyan runners have been obtaining going through their paces here for decades.
Nation Sport can confirm that New York Marathon champion Abdi Nageeye, also from the Netherlands, and with a personal best of 2:04:45 is also training in Iten for the London Marathon men’s race.
But this article is on the women’s category. Jepkosgei, the 2021 London Marathon champion, is training in Iten
Sifan, who has been in camp at the Loran Kiplagat High Altitude Centre in Iten, posted on her X account on Tuesday: “Preparations for London Marathon in Kenya this time. Love the environment and the people, do not like the crazy elevation.”
“Unfortunately we are not doing any interviews with Sifan while she is in Iten. The only exception is with the Dutch National TV. Internationally, we want to keep her low profile for the coming period preparing for London Marathon,” said an official of the athlete’s management Global Sports Communication, when Nation Sport reached out for an audience with the great Dutchwoman.
Not so for defending champion Jepchirchir who is also the women’s world only record holder after clocking 2:16:16 at the London Marathon last year, breaking the record then held by Mary Keitany who clocked 2:17:01 in the same race in 2017.
“I will be competing in one of the toughest races of my career considering we have record holders in the field and the third fastest woman (Sifan). Being the defending champion, many eyes will be on me. My goal is to finish in a podium position,” said Jepchirchir yesterday after her morning run in Kapsabet, some 2,047 metres above sea level.
She warned that her training was going on well and she may have something in reserve come April 17. Jepchirchir will be competing against Sifan for the second time. Sifan smoked her to third place to win in London in 2023 in 2:18:33. Jepchirchir finished third in 2:18:38.
The fastest woman over 42km in the world Chepngetich is quietly doing her thing in Ngong about 2,000m above sea level.
“This is quite simply the greatest elite field in the history of the London Marathon,” said Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events when the line-up was announced on January 17.
