Top Storylines of the London Marathon: Sawe vs. Kiplimo, Assefa, Obiri & Potential a World Record?

Top Storylines of the London Marathon: Sawe vs. Kiplimo, Assefa, Obiri & Potential a World Record?

From Marathon Handbook Podcast by Marathon Handbook

April 24, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

The episode previews the top storylines of the upcoming London Marathon, focusing on elite competitors and potential world records.

Michael Doyle and Jessy Carveth sit down for their full elite preview of the 2026 London Marathon, breaking down the top five storylines ahead of Sunday's race. Sebastian Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo headline a men's field that Sawe himself says will require a course record to win: 2:01:25, set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2024. Kiplimo arrives fresh off a ratified 57:20 half marathon world record in Lisbon and a World Cross Country title in January. Sawe is expected to debut the Adidas Adios Pro Evo 3, setting up a head-to-head super shoe war against Kiplimo's Nike Alphafly 4. The women's race took a hit when two major names withdrew, but Tigst Assefa (defending champion and women's-only world record holder) and Helen Obiri make it a showdown worth tuning in for: Obiri finally gets her shot at a flat, fast course after a career built on the hills of Boston, New York, and Paris. In the men's field behind the big two: three former track stars: Yomif Kejelcha, Hagos Gebrhiwet, and Joshua Cheptegei: try to translate their 5K/10K brilliance into 26.2. Cheptegei is still looking to crack the marathon; Kejelcha and Gebrhiwet are both making their debuts. The British field takes a hit with…

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