Munyao out to defend London Marathon as Kipchoge, Kiplimo stretch the field

From Alexander Mutiso Munyao’s title defence, Eliud Kipchoge’s return and Jacob Kiplimo’s debut the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 27 April is stacked with stars and storylines.

With many of the biggest names in marathon running in action, including six men with sub-2:04 PBs competition is expected to be high.

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Munyao, Kipchoge, and Kiplimo, as well as Sebastian Sawe, Tamirat Tola, and Milkesa Mengesha, are in the men's field.

Also in the mix 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.

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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. Before that, he won in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, and in the years since, he has triumphed in Tokyo and Berlin.

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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.

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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

Additional reporting by World Athletics