| CHAMPION SAWE RETURNS FOR 2026 TCS LONDON MARATHON Defending champion predicts a course record will be needed to beat star-studded field Rivals include world half marathon record holder and three-time World Cross-Country champion Jacob KiplimoJoshua Cheptegei, Tamirat Tola and Yomif Kejelcha also in line-up All line-ups for 2026 TCS London Marathon (Sunday 26 April) now confirmed on final day of Elite Week Defending champion Sabastian Sawe will return to the TCS London Marathon in 2026 and is predicting a course record may be required for him to win for a second year in a row. Sawe (KEN) headlines a star-studded field that also includes Jacob Kiplimo (UGA), last year’s runner-up and the newly crowned three-time World Cross-Country champion, who is also the world record holder for the half marathon (56:42) and the reigning Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion. Also confirmed are Joshua Cheptegei, the 2024 Olympic Games 10,000m champion and world record holder for both the 5,000m (12:35) and 10,000m (26:11); the 2024 Olympic marathon champion, Tamirat Tola (ETH); and Yomif Kejelcha (ETH), who will be making his marathon debut after a sparkling track career that included a silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. Amos Kipruto (KEN), the 2022 TCS London Marathon champion, and Deresa Geleta (ETH), the ninth-fastest man in history over the marathon (2:02:38), are other stellar names in this year’s line-up. Germany’s Amanal Petros, who won a silver medal in the 2025 World Championships marathon (missing out on a gold medal in dramatic fashion by just 0:03 seconds), will lead the European charge alongside Britain’s Emile Cairess who was announced alongside the full domestic fields earlier this week.It is the calibre of this field that has led Sawe to predict whoever wins the 2026 TCS London Marathon, on Sunday 26 April, will likely have to break the course record of 2:01:25 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023. Sawe said: “The TCS London Marathon course is one of the most beautiful and fastest courses in the world. It was my first time running in London last year and it was one of the proudest moments of my life to cross the line as champion. I am excited to be coming back in 2026 and I know now a little bit more about what I can expect. I am sure with the quality of athletes coming to London it will take another fast time to win again, perhaps the type of effort the great Kelvin Kiptum put in when he set the course record in 2023.”Sawe’s winning time from last year of 2:02:27 (which included a blistering 60:57 over the second half of the course) was the second fastest time ever on the TCS London Marathon course, behind only Kiptum. After his win in London last year, Sawe followed it up with victory at the 2025 BMW Berlin Marathon meaning he still has not lost a marathon in three races (Valencia 2023, London 2025 and Berlin 2025). Today’s announcement completes the elite field reveals for the 2026 TCS London Marathon. Earlier this week we revealed the leading British athletes taking part in April including Emile Cairess, Eilish McColgan, Jess Warner-Judd and Patrick Dever. Marcel Hug (SUI) will aim to equal David Weir’s (GBR) all-time London Marathon record with an eighth win in the wheelchair races while reigning champion Tigst Assefa (ETH) will face world champion Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan (NED) in the elite women’s race. Hugh Brasher, London Marathon Events CEO, said: “Sabastian Sawe showed the world at last year’s TCS London Marathon that he is a man that could re-write the marathon record books so we are delighted to welcome him back for this year’s event. To run 2:02:27 with a negative split of 60:57 for the second half of the race showed the huge potential he has and we are looking forward to supporting Sabastian run as fast as possible in London on Sunday 26 April. “We are delighted to have such incredible storylines and depth across all our elite races in the 2026 TCS London Marathon. From a British perspective, we are all excited to see how fast Emile Cairess and Eilish McColgan can run while the reunion of Tigst Assefa, Peres Jepchirchir and Sifan Hassan in the elite women’s race is a mouthwatering prospect for athletics fans across the world. Finally, there is Marcel Hug’s bid to join David Weir as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history in the wheelchair races. It promises to be another incredible year at the TCS London Marathon.” 2026 TCS LONDON MARATHON ELITE MEN ENTRY LIST Sabastian Sawe (KEN, PB 2:02:05) Jacob Kiplimo (UGA, 2:02:23) Deresa Geleta (ETH, 2:02:38) Amos Kipruto (KEN, 2:03:13) Tamirat Tola (ETH, 2:03:39) Amanal Petros (GER, 2:04:03) Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN, 2:04:23) Joshua Cheptegei (UGA, 2:04:52) Shunya Kikuchi (JPN, 2:06:06) Emile Cairess (GBR, 2:06:46) Mahamed Mahamed (GBR, 2:07:05) Philip Sesemann (GBR, 2:07:10) Hassan Chahdi (FRA, 2:07:30) Adam Lipschitz (RSA, 2:08:54) Patrick Dever (GBR, 2:08:58) Peter Lynch (IRL, 2:09:36) Tim Vincent (AUS, 2:09:40) Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR, 2:09:50) Tewelde Menges (GBR, 2:09:58) George James (GBR, 2:10:10) Liam Boudin (AUS, 2:10:28) Jake Smith (GBR, 2:11:00) Marc Scott (GBR, 2:11:19) Jack Rowe (GBR, 2:12:31) Andrew Fyfe (GBR, 2:13:20) Alex Milne (GBR, 2:14:03) Peter Le Grice (GBR, 2:14:45) Sean Hogan (GBR, 2:14:51) Jake Barraclough (GBR, 2:14:55) Christopher Thomas (GBR, 2:14:55) Chris Perry (GBR, 2:14:57) David Bishop (GBR, 2:15:16) Charlie Sandison (GBR, 2:15:38) William Mycroft (GBR, 2:15:54) Yomif Kejelcha (ETH, Debut) Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH, Debut) Isaia Kipkoech Lasio (KEN, Debut) Alfie Manthorpe (GBR, Debut) ENDS |
| Notes to EditorsABOUT JOSHUA CHEPTEGEI (UGA) Born: 12 September 1996 Marathon best: 2:04:52, Amsterdam London Marathon record: N/A Other Abbott World Major Marathon Majors: Tokyo: 2025 – 9th 2:05:59 Other major city marathons: 2025 Amsterdam 5th – 2:04:52, 2023 Valencia 37th – 2:08:59 Marathons in major championships: N/A Notes: Joshua Cheptegei is Ugandan long-distance runner and the current world record holder for the 5,000m and the 10,000m. He won three World Championship gold medals in a row over 10,000m between 2019 and 2023 plus won gold in the 10,000m at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, setting a new Olympic record of 26:43:14. After a number of dominant years on the track, he is beginning to switch his focus to road racing, making his marathon debut in Valencia in 2023 where he finished 37th in a time of 2:08:59. In March 2025 Cheptegei ran Tokyo, his first Abbott World Marathon Major, placing ninth in a time of 2:05:59. He set a new personal best in October of that year at the Amsterdam Marathon, finishing in fifth place in a time of 2:04:52. He will be making his debut in London. ABOUT YOMIF KEJELCHA (ETH) Born: 1 August 1997 (Age 28) Marathon best: N/A London Marathon record: N/A Other Abbott World Major Marathon Majors: N/A Other major city marathons: N/A Marathons in major championships: N/A Notes: Yomif Kejelcha is the former world record holder for the half marathon, with the 57:30 time he set at the 2024 Valencia Half Marathon still the second fastest in history (behind Jacob Kiplimo’s 56:42 from Barcelona in 2025). Kejelcha also held the world record for the short track mile (3:47:01) from 2019 to 2025, and is the fourth-fastest 5,000m runner in history with a personal best of 12:38:95. He won silver medals on the track over 10,000m at the 2019 and 2025 World Championships. ABOUT JACOB KIPLIMO (UGA) Born: 14 November 2000 (Age 26) Marathon best: 2:02:23, Chicago London Marathon record: 2025 – 2nd 2:03:37 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: Chicago 2025 1st 2:02:23 Other major city marathons: N/A Marathons in major championships: N/A Notes: Kiplimo made his debut at the TCS London Marathon in 2025 where he finished in second place, behind Sebastian Sawe, in a time of 2:03:37. He went on to win the 2025 Chicago Marathon, finishing in 2:02:23. The Ugandan shattered the world record for the half marathon at the 2025 Barcelona Half Marathon, becoming the first man to run inside 57 minutes when he finished in a time of 56:42. Kiplimo has been a prodigy in distance running since becoming his country’s youngest-ever Olympian at the Rio 2016 Olympics when he competed in the 5,000m event at age 15. He won a 10,000m bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, before claiming a 10,000m bronze medal once again at the World Championships in July 2022 and then picking up 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals a month later at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Kiplimo’s first success at a major championship came at the 2017 World Cross-Country Championships when he won the U20 title on home soil in Kampala, and he became a world cross-country champion at senior men’s level six years later. Kiplimo has three half-brothers who are also athletes: Victor Kiplangat, the 2023 world marathon champion; Oscar Chelimo, and Robert Chemonges. ABOUT SABASTIAN SAWE (KEN) Born: 16 March 1995 (Age 30) Marathon best: Valencia 2024 - 1st 2:02:05 London Marathon record: 2025 – 1st 2:02:27 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: Berlin 2025 – 1st 2:02:16 Other major city marathons: Valencia 2024 – 1st 2:02:05 Marathons in major championships: None Notes: Sawe ran the fastest marathon of 2024 on his debut over the distance when he won the Valencia Marathon in 2:02:05, which remains the fifth-fastest time in history. He went on to win the 2025 TCS London Marathon in April in a time of 2:02:27 and the 2025 Berlin Marathon five months later in a time of 2:02:16. Prior to stepping up to the marathon, Sawe showed immense talent over the half-marathon distance. In 2023, he won the half marathon at the inaugural World Athletics World Road Running Championships and has wins in Copenhagen, Prague, Berlin, Rome and Sevilla to his name. His half-marathon PB of 58:05, set winning in Copenhagen last year, is the ninth-fastest half-marathon time in history. ABOUT TAMIRAT TOLA (ETH) Born: 11 August 1991 Marathon best: 2:03:39 Amsterdam 2021 London Marathon record: 2019- 6th 2:06:57, 2020 – 6th 2:06:41, 2023 – 3rd 2:04:59, 2024 – DNF, 2025 – 5th 2:04:42 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: Boston: 2018- DNF; New York: 2018- 4th 2:08:30, 2019- 4th 2:09:20, 2023 – 1st 2:04:58 Other major city marathons: Dubai: 2014- 4th 2:06:17, 2017- 1st 2:04:11, 2018- 3rd 2:04:06 Gongju: 2014- 8th 2:12:22; Amsterdam: 2021 – 1st 2:03:39; Doha: 2026 –1st 2:05:40 Marathons in major championships: Worlds: 2017- 2nd 2:09:49, 2022 – 2:05:36, 2023 – DNF; Olympics 2024 – 1st Notes: Tola is the reigning Olympic marathon champion, taking the biggest win of his career on the gruelling Paris Olympic Games course. After a successful career on the track where the highlight was a bronze medal in the 10,000m at the 2016 Olympics, Tola’s marathon career has got better with experience. After coming so close to gold at the 2017 World Championships in London (when he finished runner-up), Tola finally became the world champion in 2022 when he won the marathon at the Oregon World Championships (2:05:36). It came after he finished third at the 2022 Tokyo Marathon and won the 2021 Amsterdam Marathon in a PB of 2:03:39. Tola has also had success at Abbott World Marathon Majors events, winning the TCS New York City Marathon in 2023. He started off 2026 by winning the Doha Marathon in 2:05:40. His best result in London was third in 2023. About the TCS London MarathonThe 2026 TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday 26 April 2026.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 £1.4 billion for charity. The 2026 TCS London Marathon Official Charity of the Year is Marie Curie.London Marathon Events passes its surplus each year through corporate Gift Aid to 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 more than £114 million to more than 1,750 projects that inspire activity in London and across the UK.Find out more about the work of London Marathon Events and the London Marathon Foundation in the new Group Impact Report.For more information, visit tcslondonmarathon.com. |
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