Marathon great Kipchoge to race London in April

Eliud Kipchoge, a legendary distance runner, will make his London Marathon debut in April.

Kenyan Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic marathon champion, is the record four-time winner of the men’s race in London, where he last competed in 2020.

The 40-year-old former world record holder described his mid-race drop-out at his final Olympic Games in Paris as “demoralising” but still believes he can compete for a fifth victory in London.

“Sport is full of challenges. I’m still working hard to get better, trying to inspire people and sell the power of sport”, Kipchoge said.

“I still think I can compete. I’m getting good training while competing with the youngest people.

The 2025 London Marathon takes place on Sunday, 27 April.

The “great elite field in the history of the London Marathon,” according to London Marathon CEO Hugh Brasher, is present at this year’s event.

The women’s race will feature Eilish McColgan making her debut, along with world record holder Ruth Chepngetich, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, and silver medalist Tiger Assefa, who will break the women’s record.

However, because he used a team of rotating pacemakers and it wasn’t in open competition, the time is not considered to be the official world record.

His official personal best is two hours, one minute, and nine seconds, which is the second-fastest time ever recorded.

In addition to his Olympic triumphs at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Kipchoge has 11 victories across the world’s major marathons.

That includes an unbeaten four-year streak in London in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

His previous appearance came during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when he finished eighth.

That was his only defeat in 16 marathons between 2014 and 2022, a remarkable dominance period.

Kipchoge said he would only reveal his future plans after winning the London Marathon when asked when he might decide to retire.

The greatest marathon runner of this or any other era, according to Brasher.