2025 London Marathon: Live updates, how to watch, start times

USA Today

27-04-2025

2025 London Marathon: Live updates, how to watch, start times
With more than 56,000 people expected to race Sunday including four-time London champion Eliud Kipchoge and Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Tamirat Tola, the 45th edition of the London Marathon promises to be a memorable race.
Last year 53,900 runners finished the race. With an even larger field expected for 2025, Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, called it "the most popular marathon on the planet." He said last year 840,000 people applied to run this year's event.
Follow along for live updates Sunday morning:
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia has done it, setting a women's only world record to win in 2:15:50, beating the previous record set last year by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir by 26 seconds.
Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya finished second in 2:18:44.
Jepkosgei and Assefa were running side by side looking comfortable after the pacer dropped off. Assefa made her move with around 5 kilometers to go and by the 40K mark had a 56-second advantage.
Assefa's time was the second-fastest run by a woman in London history, behind Paula Radcliffe's 2:15:25 at the 2003 London Marathon, then a world record. Radcliffe ran with male pacemakers in the race.
Olympic marathon champion Sifan Hassan couldn't keep up with the blistering pace and fell off around the halfway mark, finishing third in 2:19:00.
Kenya's Sabastian Sawe put down the hammer to obliterate the men's field, winning his London Marathon debut in 2:02:27, the second-fastest time in London history, according to World Athletics.
Sawe made a big move around the 30K mark to get in front of the pack. He ran a 4:18 split at mile 20 and put on a master clash with crowds cheering him on. Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who holds the world record in the half marathon, placed second in his debut marathon, finishing in 2:03:37.
Sabastian Sawe, Kenya, 2:02:27
Jacob Kiplimo, Uganda, 2:03:37
Alex Mutiso, Kenya, 2:04:20
Abdi Nageeye, Netherlands 2:04:20
Tamirat Tola, Ethiopia, 2:04:42
Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2:05:25
Hillary Kipkoech, Kenya, 2:06:05
Amanal Petros, Germany, 2:06:30
Mahamed Mahamed, Great Britian, 2:08:52
Milkesha Mengesha, Ethiopoa, 2:09:01
Tigst Assefa, Ethiopia, 2:15:50
Joyciline Jepkosgei, Kenya 2:18:44
Sifan Hassan, Netherlands, 2:19:00
Haven Hailu Desse, Ethiopia, 2:19:17
Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenya, 2:22:32
Stella Chesang, Uganda, 2:22:42
Sofiia Yaremchuk, Italy, 2:23:14
Elilish McColgan, Great Britain, 2:24:25
Rose Harvey, Great Britain, 2:25:01
Susanna Sullivan, USA, 2:29:30
Elite women through 35K: Tigst Assefa, and Joyciline Jepkosgei, 1:52:12; Sifan Hassan, 1:54:15
Elite men through 35K: Sabastian Sawe, 1:41:43; Jacob Kiplimo, 1:42:05; Milkesa Mengesha, Hillary Kipkoech, 1:42:20; Alex Mutiso, 1:42:33; Tamirat Tola, 1:42:34
Tigst Assefa
The 28-year-old from Ethiopia has a personal-best of 2:11:53 (Berlin 2023). The time in Berlin was then a world record and is now the second-fastest time by a female runner in history. She made her London debut last year, finishing second in 2:16:23. She won the Olympic silver medal last year in Paris (2:22:58) behind Sifan Hassan.
Joyciline Jepkosgei
The 31-year-old from Kenya won the London Marathon in 2021 in a then personal-best 2:17:43 and finished second in 2022. She also won the 2019 New York City Marathon. In February she won the half-marathon in Barcelona in 1:04:13.
How to watch the 2025 London Marathon
The London Marathon can be streamed on Flotrack in the United States, starting at 3:45 a.m. ET, Sunday, April 27.
Start times
Elite wheelchair races – 3:50 a.m. ET
Elite women – 4:05 a.m. ET
Elite men – 4:35 a.m. ET
Fastest contenders in the elite women's race
Here are some of the favorites in the elite women's race:
Tigst Assefa, Ethiopia, 2:11:53
Sifan Hassan, Netherlands, 2:13:44
Joyciline Jepkosgei, Kenya, 2:16:24
Megertu Alemu, Ethiopia, 2:16 :34
Stella Chesang, Uganda, 2:18 :26
Haven Hailu Desse, Ethiopia, 2:19 :29
Susanna Sullivan, USA, 2:21:56
Charlotte Purdue, Great Britain, 2:22:17
Fastest contenders in the elite men's race
Here are some of the favorites in the elite men's race. Alexander Mutiso is the 2024 London Marathon champion.
Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2:01:09
Sabastian Sawe, Kenya, 2:02:05
Timothy Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:02:55
Alexander Mutiso Munyao, Kenya, 2:03:11
Milkesa Mengesha, Ethiopia, 2:03:17
Tamirat Tola, Ethiopia, 2:03:39
Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia, 2:04:39
Abdi Nageeye, Netherlands, 2:04:45
Hillary Kipkoech, Kenya: 2:04:45
Amanal Petros, Germany, 2:04:58
What is the world's largest marathon?
An estimated 56,000 runners are expected to participate in Sunday's London Marathon. The current world record for a marathon is 55,646, set in New York last year. According to a press release, the London Marathon is the world's largest single day fundraiser with more than 1.3 billion pounds raised for charity since 1981.
What is the London Marathon course record?
Kelvin Kiptum set the men's course record of 2:01:25 in 2023. Kiptum tragically died at the age of 24 last year.
The women's record is held by Peres Jepchirchir, set last year, in 2:16:16.
Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo is making his marathon debut in London after shattering the half-marathon world record in February. He broke the half-marathon record by 48 seconds in Barcelona.
Sunday he was in the lead pack through the halfway mark at 1:01:31.
World record holder Ruth Chepngetich and 2024 London champion Peres Jepchirchir withdrew from the race two weeks ago.
Chepngetich set the world record last year, running 2:09:56 in Chicago to become the first woman to break 2:10. In a statement, she said she wasn't 'in the right place mentally or physically to race my best in London.'
Jepchirchir has an ankle injury.
On the men's side, Kenenisa Bekele withdrew, citing niggling injuries that prevented him from training.