London Marathon 2025: Top Athletes to watch out for ft. Eliud Kipchoge

The London Marathon 2025 will take place on April 27 and is expecting more than 56,000 runners, beating the record of 55,646 finishers in the 2024 New York City Marathon. The 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) London Marathon will begin in Greenwich and finish in The Mall, near Buckingham Palace.

The event will feature Olympic and Paralympic champions from the 2024 Summer Olympics and previous London Marathon winners.

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Here are the top athletes to watch at the London Marathon 2025

1. Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge at the 2023 Berlin-Marathon - Source: Getty

Marathon Champion Eliud Kipchoge is a top name to watch at the 2025 London Marathon, as he marks his first race since he withdrew at the 30km mark in Paris 2024. Kipchoge is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, former world marathon record holder, and has won the London Marathon four times (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019).

2. Alexander Mutiso Munyao

Alexander Mutiso Munyao crosses the finish line to win the Men's elite race during the 2024 London Marathon - Source: Getty

Kenyan long-distance runner, Alexander Mutiso Munyao won the 2024 London Marathon in 2:04:01. He finished 21st in the Paris 2024 Olympic marathon and started this year by winning the Kagawa Marugame International Half Marathon. Jacob Kiplimo, Sebastian Sawe, and Kipchoge are his major competitors.

3. Jacob Kiplimo

Jacob Kiplimo after winning the Senior Men's Final during the World Athletics Cross Country finals Championships - Source: Getty

Half-marathon world record holder, Jacob Kiplimo, will mark his debut at the 2025 London Marathon. Kiplimo, who became the first person to run a half marathon under 57 minutes (56:42) in February, is a two-time World Cross Country champion, 2020 World Half Marathon champion, and has won Olympic and World Championship bronze medals over 10,000 m.

4. Alex Yee

Alex Yee celebrates as he won the Gold Medal after the Men's Individual Triathlon at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Olympic and World Triathlon champion Alex Yee is ready for his debut at the London Marathon 2025. Speaking to The Guardian, Yee explained how he is excited about venturing into the unknown. He acknowledged that elite athletes had experienced challenges and admitted that he had been through difficulties before. He was looking forward to the marathon challenge, rather than being intimidated.

5. Sifan Hassan

Sifan Hassan looks on ahead of the Elite Women's Race - Source: Getty

Sifan Hassan, a six-time Olympic medallist, will be hoping for a win after missing the 2024 London Marathon. In 2023, Hassan won her first race in the London Marathon. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, she secured gold in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter.

6. Tigst Assefa

Tigst Assefa speaks to the Media Ahead of the Women's Elite Race - Source: Getty

Tigst Assefa, who won silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, is one of the top candidates for the London Marathon 2025. At the 2023 Berlin Marathon, the Ethiopian set the world record for women's marathon with a time of 2:11:53. As a two-time Berlin champion and runner-up in the 2024 London Marathon, she will be expecting to finish on top this time.

7. Marcel Hug

Marcel Hug after winning the 129th Boston Marathon Men's Wheelchair - Source: Getty

After winning his eighth Boston Marathon title recently, Marcel Hug, known as the Silver Bullet, is aiming to win the next men's wheelchair race at the London Marathon 2025. In 2023, he swept all six major marathons and became the first man to win all six marathons in a single year.

8. Daniel Romanchuk

Daniel Romanchuk after placing first in the men's wheelchair division of the Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon - Source: Getty

After finishing the Boston Marathon in second place, American wheelchair racer Daniel Romanchuk is up for the London Marathon 2025. He is a Paralympic champion and the former youngest New York City Marathon champion. At the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Romanchuk won the men’s 5,000m T54 gold, and Hug won silver.

Since 1981, the race has raised over £1.3 billion for charity. The winners of the event will get £41,000, while any man or woman who runs under 2:02:00 or 2:15:00, respectively, will receive an additional £112,000 bonus.