| Kenyan star became first woman in history to run inside 2:10 at 2024 Chicago Marathon Chepngetich believes another record could fall in London this year World record holder takes on reigning London champion and women’s only world record holder Peres Jepchirchir and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan Men’s defending champion Alex Mutiso confirmed to return New world record holder Ruth Chepngetich will run the 2025 TCS London Marathon.Chepngetich stunned the world at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon where she became the first woman in history to break the historic two hour 10-minute barrier for the marathon.The 30-year-old Kenyan clocked a time of 2:09:56 last October, knocking nearly two minutes off the previous world record set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in 2023.Chepngetich, who has won the Chicago Marathon on three occasions and marathon gold at the World Championships in 2019, will now set her sights on making her mark at the TCS London Marathon where she will come up against the Olympic champion, Sifan Hassan (NED), and the reigning London champion, Peres Jepchirchir (KEN), in a mouth-watering match-up of marathon greats. As well as being the defending champion, Jepchirchir is the owner of the second world record which exists in women’s marathon running – the women-only race world record. Unlike the Chicago Marathon, where the elite women run alongside their male counterparts, the TCS London Marathon has a stand-alone elite women’s race and Jepchirchir’s winning time of 2:16:16 in the 2024 edition was the fastest ever in this category. Chepngetich believes with the calibre of field assembled that world record could fall again at the 2025 TCS London Marathon, which takes place on Sunday 27 April. She said: “The TCS London Marathon always brings together the best athletes in the world and I am sure this year will be as competitive as ever. Myself, Peres and the other women are strong, so it will be a competitive one and I want to prepare as best as I can and we will see if we can lower Peres’s world record of 2:16:16 from last year. With the strength of the field, I think we can support each other and maybe the world record will fall.” Chepngetich had gone close to re-writing the record books before her incredible result in Chicago last year. At the 2022 Chicago Marathon she finished within 14 seconds of the then world record (2:14:04, set by Bridgid Kosgei in 2019), and says finally becoming a world record holder last year was a dream come true. She said: “I didn’t know it was possible, but I came to realise that dreams can come true. When you work hard, believe in yourself and have discipline, everything is possible.” Chepngetich has raced the London Marathon twice before, finishing third in the unique 2020 edition of the event, which was held on a multi-lap course around St James’s Park during the Covid-19 pandemic, and then ninth last year. In total, she has run three of the 10 fastest women’s marathon times in history and is the only woman to run inside 2:16 on three separate occasions. Chepngetich is the third name in the elite women’s field for the 2025 TCS London Marathon to be announced after Hassan and Jepchirchir. The full field will be revealed at 16:00 GMT tomorrow (Thursday 16 January). Spencer Barden, Head of Elite Athletes at London Marathon Events, said: “Ruth’s world record at the Chicago Marathon last year was an incredible performance that re-defined what is possible in women’s marathon running. So, we are delighted to welcome her back to the TCS London Marathon and are very excited to see her take on the Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, plus last year’s champion and women’s only world record holder Peres Jepchirchir here in London in what will be one of the great marathon contests.” In the men’s field it has been announced that defending champion Alex Mutiso (KEN) will return to defend his title. Mutiso’s win at last year’s TCS London Marathon was the biggest of his career and helped him win selection on the Kenyan marathon team for the Paris Olympic Games where he finished in 21st place. Mutiso’s opponents this year will include the reigning Olympic champion Tamirat Tola (ETH) who was announced on Monday. The full international men’s and women’s fields announced tomorrow (Thursday 16 January). ENDS |
| Notes to EditorsAbout the TCS London Marathon The 2025 TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday 27 April 2025. This will be the 45th edition. The London Marathon was first held on 29 March 1981 and the millionth finisher in the history of the event crossed the line in 2016. Since the first London Marathon in 1981, the event has raised more than £1.3 billion for charity. The 2025 TCS London Marathon Official Charity of the Year is Pancreatic Cancer UK. London Marathon Events passes its surplus each year through corporate Gift Aid its parent charity, the London Marathon Foundation (the operating name of The London Marathon Charitable Trust, a registered charity (283813) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales (01550741), registered office: 190 Great Dover Street, London, SE1 4YB). Since 1981, the London Marathon Foundation has awarded £108.5 million to more than 1,700 projects that inspire activity in London, Essex and across the UK. For more information, visit tcslondonmarathon.com About Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) Born: 8 August 1994 (30 years old) Marathon best: 2:09:56 Chicago 2024 London Marathon record: 2020 – 3rd 2:22:05, 2024 – 9th 2:24:36 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: Chicago: 2021 – 1st 2:22:31, 2022 – 1st 2:14:18, 2023 – 2nd 2:15:37, 2024 – 1st 2:09:56 Other major city marathons: Dubai: 2019 – 1st 2:17:08; Istanbul: 2017 – 1st 2:22:36; 2018 – 1st 2:18:35 Paris: 2018 – 2nd 2:22:59, Nagoya: 2022 – 1st 2:17:18, 2023 – 1st 2:18:08 Marathons in major championships: Worlds: 2019 – 1st 2:32:43, 2022 – DNF. Notes: Ruth Chepngetich produced one of the most stunning performances in the history of athletics when she set a new world record and became the first woman to run under two hours and 10 minutes when she won the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56. The Kenyan athlete has dominated the Chicago Marathon in recent years, winning three times (in 2021, 2022 and 2024) and finishing runner-up in 2023. Her style while racing in Chicago has been to attack the race from the outset and to hang on, a tactic that saw her close to setting a world record on the course in 2022, only to slow towards the end. While she did slow in the second half of her world record in 2024 (the first-half split was 64:16 compared to 65:40 in second) she had enough in the bank to hang on for an historic win and time. Chepngetich, who won the World Championships Marathon in 2019, has raced twice in London but not yet made the impact she has elsewhere. She was ninth in 2024 and third in 2020. Her sister, Rosefline Chepngetich, represented Kenya at the 2015 World Championships in the 3,000m steeplechase. Ruth was born in Kericho, in Kenya’s Rift Valley. She has a daughter, Sharleen. About Peres Jepchirchir (KEN)Born: 27 September 1993 (31 years old) Marathon best: 2:16:16, London 2024 London Marathon record: 2015 – DNF, 2023 – 3rd 2:18:38, 2024 – 1st 2:16:16 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: New York: 2021 – 1st 2:22:39; Boston: 2022 – 1st 2:21:01 Other major city marathons: Saitama: 2019 – 1st 2:23:50; Valencia: 2020 – 1st 2:17:16 Marathons in major championships: Olympics, 2020 (2021) – 1st 2:27:20 , 2024 – 15th 2:26:51 Notes: Jepchirchir wrote herself into the record books at the 2024 TCS London Marathon when she set a new women’s only world record of 2:16:16 to take victory on The Mall. The Kenyan is one of the marathon greats. She won the 2020 Olympic Marathon in Tokyo (which took place in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic) and made a bold bid to defend that title in Paris last year but struggled on the gruelling course and finished 15th in 2:26:51. Jepchirchir is a proven winner over the marathon distance, with other notable victories including two Abbott World Marathon Major triumphs in New York and Boston, plus victories in Saitama and Valencia. She is also the women-only world record holder for the half-marathon distance and a two-time world half-marathon champion. About Alex Mutiso (KEN) Born: 10 September 1996 (Age 28)Marathon best: 2:03:11, Valencia 2023 London Marathon record: 2024 – 1st 2:04:01 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: Tokyo: 2020 – DNF Other major city marathons: Valencia: 2022 – 3rd 2:03:29, 2023 – 2nd 2:03:11; Prague: 2023 – 1st 2:05:09 Marathons in major championships: Olympics 2024 – 21st 2:10:31 Notes: Mutiso had a spectacular first taste of the TCS London Marathon in 2024, after a dramatic surprise win which saw him get the better of the legendary Kenenisa Bekele (ETH). This was his first victory at an Abbott World Marathon Major event, which enabled him to make Kenya’s marathon team at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he finished 21st after running 2:10:31 on the gruelling Paris course. Mutiso’s only other marathon victory was in 2023 when he ran 2:05:09 to win the Prague Marathon. Later the same year (2023) he set his marathon PB in Valencia to cap off an impressive year, finishing second with a time of 2:03:11. Mutiso has also competed as a track athlete for just over a decade in the 5,000m and 10,000m events, and he won a 3,000m bronze medal at the World Youth Championships back in 2013. He is married to Irene and has two children. |
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