Everything you need to know about this weekend’s big event in the British capital
Jacob Kiplimo is set for “the most fascinating marathon debut ever”, according to London Marathon event director Hugh Brasher.
A sub-two-hour marathon on the streets of London on Sunday (April 27), Brasher says, is not impossible. Equally, Kiplimo might find experienced marathoners such as Eliud Kipchoge, Tamirat Tola and Alex Mutiso too hot to handle over 26.2 miles.
Kiplimo demolished the world half-marathon record with 56:41 in Barcelona two months ago. But this weekend he will take a step into the unknown over double the distance.
“It is the most fascinating debut ever,” says Brasher. “We have no idea what he will do on the day. His best half-marathon time is far quicker than Eliud’s best (59:25).
Yet Brasher warns: “Eliud has more of a diesel engine who can chug and chug at an incredible speed. Can Jacob do this? We don’t know. Can he be the first athlete to run inside two hours in a race? Yes. But who knows what will happen. We’ll find out on Sunday.”
Whatever the result, Brasher adds: “London Marathon is harder to win than the Olympic marathon.”
Jacob Kiplimo (Daniel Meumann for Sportmedia.es)
Of course, Olympic titles are not to be sniffed at entirely and the 45th edition of the London Marathon is proud to feature four reigning Olympic and Paralympic champions – Tola, Sifan Hassan, Tola, Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug – this weekend plus defending men’s champion Mutiso and marathon legend Kipchoge.
Brits racing include another exciting debutante, Eilish McColgan, together with Charlotte Purdue, Rose Harvey, Mahamed Mahamed and Phil Sesemann, while David Weir and Eden Rainbow-Cooper are among the domestic hopes in the wheelchair races. There is also much anticipation in seeing how Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee will fare on his marathon debut.
Most of the pre-race speculation will focus on Kiplimo, though. The 24-year-old is the reigning world cross-country champion and has won Olympic and World Championship medals over 10,000m on the track, but more importantly the Ugandan obliterated the world half-marathon record in February.
READ MORE: Jacob Kiplimo – lighting the spark
Mutiso knows how to win on this course, though, with a 2:04:01 victory in London 12 months ago and a 2:03:11 PB from Valencia in 2023.
Alexander Mutiso (LM Events)
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