London Marathon defending champion Sabastian Sawe has set his sights on breaking the course record set by the late Kelvin Kiptum. The Kenyan, who won last year's race in two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, expressed confidence that Kiptum's three-year-old record of two hours, one minute and 25 seconds could be beaten on Sunday.
When asked whether his Adidas Pro Evo 3 shoes were capable of delivering a course or even world record, the 29-year-old simply replied: "Yep."
Strong Competition
Sawe's main rival is Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, winner of the Chicago Marathon and runner-up in London last year. The men's field is notably missing Briton Emile Cairess, who placed third in 2024 and fourth at the Paris Olympics, but withdrew due to a calf injury while targeting Mo Farah's British record.
Great Britain will still be well represented by Mahamed Mahamed, the fourth-fastest British man over the distance, his Olympic team-mate Phil Sesemann, and Patrick Dever, all of whom have set more modest targets. Alex Yee, the 2024 Olympic triathlon gold medallist, returns as a pacemaker after making his competitive marathon debut in London last year.
Women's Race
Ethiopian Tigst Assefa will aim for her own women-only world record when she defends her London crown. The 29-year-old set a new standard at the same event last year, beating the previous world record by 26 seconds with a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa's competition includes Britons Eilish McColgan and Jess Warner-Judd, as well as Kenyan Hellen Obiri, winner of the New York Marathon. Assefa expressed pleasant surprise at her form: "My training has gone well, it has been better, even, than my preparation last year, so I think it is possible to beat the record I set last year."
McColgan, who made her delayed London debut last year, was captivated by the atmosphere, which she said "blew all my expectations out of the water." She added: "It was the toughest race I've ever done in my life. I didn't even know how I was putting one foot in front of the other after 20 miles, but I was somehow moving forward in some sort of manner, and without the crowds I think that would have been a hell of a lot harder."
