The third cease on the 2026 Abbott World Marathon Majors circuit, Sunday’s 2026 London Marathon, will function a extremely anticipated rematch between the 2 quickest marathoners of 2025: Kenya’s defending champion, Sebastian Sawe, and final yr’s runner-up, Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda.
Collectively, the duo maintain the No. 5 and No. 7 quickest instances in historical past, 2:02:05 and a couple of:02:23, respectively. With the best situations, each might threaten the London course file of two:01:25, set in 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum.
Since Kiptum’s 2:00:35 world file on the 2023 Chicago Marathon, no athlete has come near breaking the two-hour barrier–however there appears to be a renewed perception that in London, a sub-two-hour efficiency could possibly be inside attain.
A Sawe–Kiplimo showdown
The boys’s race is loaded, that includes 37 elites, together with three of the 9 quickest marathoners of all time. Sawe returns after a dominant 2025 season, the place he gained London in 2:02:27 (the second-fastest profitable time in race historical past), earlier than securing one other win in Berlin in 2:02:16–the quickest time on the earth that yr.
Kiplimo will undoubtedly be hungry to switch Sawe on the high of the London podium, and can also be coming off an enormous yr in 2025. Six months after his marathon debut in London, he gained the Chicago Marathon in 2:02:23 (his private greatest). In Lisbon in March, he set the half-marathon world file at 57:20.
Different high contenders
The duo might be joined by Ethiopia’s Deresa Geletawho owns the No. 9 all-time efficiency of two:02:38. Reigning Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia enters London off a win on the 2026 Doha Marathon in January. At Paris 2024, he turned the primary Ethiopian man to win Olympic gold within the occasion since Sydney 2000.
World and Olympic 10,000m champion Joshua Cheptegei can even be within the combine. Yomif Kejelchathe second-fastest runner ever over the half-marathon and two-time world 10,000m silver medallist, is making his marathon debut, as is his compatriot, Gebrhiwet of The Haguea multi-time world monitor medallist.
The British contingent might be led by the 2024 London Marathon fourth-place finisher, Mohamed Mohamed, who holds a PB of two:07:05.
Sunday’s race schedule and learn how to watch
8:50 a.m. native (3:50 a.m. ET) – Elite wheelchair women and men
9:05 a.m. native (4:05 a.m. ET) – Elite ladies
9:35 a.m. native (4:35 a.m. ET) – Elite males
9:35 to 11:30 native (4:35 to six:30 a.m. ET) – Mass participation
Viewers in Canada can stream the 2026 London Marathon on FloTrack.
