A Day Dominated by Breakaways
On a day which was hotter than may have been helpful for truly titanic times, both elite races were won by brave breakaways which could not be matched. Away from the elite races, there were some fantastic performances from some of the many club runners who strive for greatness at every event. Along with that, there was the usual mix of joy, smiles, cheers and tears along the fabled route from Greenwich to The Mall. The 2025 London Marathon proved once again why it is one of the most storied races in the world
Women’s Elite Race
With previous winners, prior world record holders and the always enigmatic Sifan Hassan on the start line, there were high hopes for the women’s race. Further interest was also added with the long awaited debut of Eilish McColgan. Would she challenge for top honours and would she be able to beat her mum’s PB of 2:26.52 set in London back in 1997?
As the race developed, a group of three women asserted their dominance over the pack. Joyciline Jepkosgei, Tigist Assefa and Hassan headed clear of the field and it soon became clear that this would be the podium places. For a whle, Hassan yo-yoed to and from the pack of three but eventually dropped off the pace. Finally, with around 10km to go, Assefa showed her strength and made the decisive move. Breaking clear of Jepkosgei, she pushed on to take the win in a time of 2:15.50 which is a new world record for a women only field. The 2025 London Marathon managed to deliver some early magic.
Jepkosgei came home in second place almost three minutes behind (2:18.44). Meanwhile, Hassan managed to close the gap somewhat and brought home bronze in 2:19.00. McColgan was the first British woman home in a time of 2:24.25 which sees her take the bragging rights around the breakfast table. The time also makes her the Scottish marathon record holder.
Men’s Elite Race
The Men’s race saw Sebastian Sawe break away from a large pack at a similar point to Assefa. Going into the race Jacob Kiplimo was seen as a strong favourite. This billing followed his stunning world record half marathon performance in Barcelona at the start of the year. Heading in to the race, there was talk of world records and possible sub-2 attempts. However, on the day, these did not materialise. The 2025 London Marathon was a show of Sawe’s strength but not overly fast.
What did materialise, on the other hand, was a stunning performance from Sawe. Once he broke free, the field did not have the legs to give chase. He broke the tape in a time of 2:02.27. Following him, was Kiplimo at 2:03.27. The last man on the podium was Alexander Mutiso Munyao in a time of 2:0420. Further back in the field, there was a strong performance from Eliud Kipchoge who is still able to run with the pack after a couple of disappointing results recently. He finished in sixth with a time of 2:05.25.
As far as Brits went, Alex Yee’s debut was the talk of the town before the race. Come The Mall, he finished fourteenth overall and second British man home in a time of 2:11.08. First Brit was Mahamed Mahamed who placed ninth overall in 2:08.52. Bronze Brit was Weynay Ghebreselasie who finished in 2:11.21.
The Masses
As anyone who has watched the London Marathon knows, the mass race brings the flavour and fun to the streets. Along with this, they are also busy setting world records. Today, among others, the 2025 London Marathon saw records for: fastest marathon dressed as a mythical creature, fastest marathon for a female dressed as a bird and Rhino Boy Chris completed his 113 marathon dressed as a Rhino. Oh, and the fastest marathon in a suit. In fact, everyone goes home from the race a record holder. The 2025 London Marathon set the new world record for number of finishers beating the previous best by New York who counted 55,646. An amazing day all round.
The mass race was won by John Gilbert of Kent AC with a stunning V40 time of 2:16.26. Second place was taken in an incredible debut by Cole Gibbens of Tonbridge AC in a time of 2:16.52. The mass bronze went to Team Bath AC’s James Reeder in 2:18.05. Meanwhile, the women’s mass race was won by Herne Hill Harrier’s Lucy Jones (2:30.23). Second went to Dina Alexandrova of Serpentine RC in 2:31.41. Bronze went to Rebecca Murray of Bedford and County AC in 2:35.59.
