London Marathon 2025: Eliud Kipchoge to chase fifth victory

Kipchoge became the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in October 2019.

However, that time is not recognised as the official world record because it was not in open competition and he used a team of rotating pacemakers.

His official personal best stands at two hours one minute and nine seconds – the second fastest time in history.

In addition to his Olympic triumphs at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, Kipchoge has 11 victories across the world‘s major marathons.

That includes an unbeaten four-year streak in London in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

His previous appearance came during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when he finished eighth.

That represented his sole defeat in 16 marathons across a remarkable spell of dominance between 2014 and 2022.

Asked about when he might choose to retire, Kipchoge said he would only reveal his future plans after racing in London.

Brasher described Kipchoge as “the greatest marathon runner of this or any other age.

“You could make a compelling case that his incredible stretch of dominance in marathon racing makes him the greatest athlete we have ever seen,” Brasher added.