Tigst Assefa sets women's-only marathon record on hot day in London
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The weather in London was a lot warmer this year than in 2024 — with temperatures nearing 64 Fahrenheit by the time the elite runners were finishing — which Assefa said was to her advantage.
'Last year I did have some problems with the cold. My hamstring tightened up toward the end of the race,' Assefa said through an interpreter. 'This year the weather suited me really well.'
Assefa adds this win to two previous Berlin Marathon titles.
She was beaten in a sprint at the Paris Olympics by Sifan Hassan last year. This time she made sure there would be no sprint finish as she left Jepkosgei behind with a few kilometers left and ran alone along the Thames and through central London to the finish in front of Buckingham Palace.
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'I really wanted to win today. And after Paris, where I finished second again, I really have trained hard,' Assefa said. 'So this preparation has been over eight months. And obviously I'm very happy it has paid off.'
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Even though she lost the Olympic gold medal in a sprint, she said her move with a few miles left was not planned ahead of time.
'I was really training for all outcomes,' she said. 'I felt I could win with a sprint, I could also win with a long run from home. The main thing was just to prepare well, and that's what I did.'
Jepkosgei, the 2021 London winner, was almost three minutes back after tiring near the end.
'It was a little bit humid,' Jepkosgei said. 'My body was not responding well. And I said, let's preserve my energy to arrive safely at the finish line.'
Hassan fell behind about halfway through the race and finished third, 3:10 behind.
Hassan took a four-month break after the Olympics and said she still isn't back to her best form. She also said she struggled to breathe every time she took a drink during the first half of the race.
'I think I need some competition,' Hassan said. 'Seven months, no competition, I think my body forgot how to push.'
Running his first major marathon in unusually warm temperatures, Kenya's Sabastian Sawe made it look easy. The 29-year-old made a solo breakaway with more than 10 kilometers left and never looked like wavering in the sunshine as he cruised to victory in the men's race in 2:02:27.
The only rival who was able to give chase was Jacob Kiplimo, the half marathon world record holder who was making his full marathon debut. The Ugandan finished 70 seconds back in second place.
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Six-time Paralympic champion Catherine Debrunner defended her title in the women's wheelchair race for a third London victory, beating her own course record by finishing in 1:34:18 — just two seconds off the world record she set at the Berlin marathon in 2023.
American Susannah Scaroni was second and Debrunner's compatriot Manuela Schar third.
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