2024 London Marathon Preview
I know we were in New England for the Boston Marathon just six days ago, but it’s already time to turn our attention to the streets of regular England for the 2024 London Marathon.
The London Marathon is the final World Marathon Major of the spring calendar and is shaping up to be the most exciting race of the year thus far. Luckily for spectators, it seems the event is inadvertently serving as the Ethiopian and Kenyan national trials for Paris 2024, with most Olympic hopefuls from the two East African nations deciding to make their case in the British capital.
Elite Women
I feel like every time I write about a marathon these days, I’m exclaiming how stacked the field is. Perhaps I need to be more conservative with that term going forward because this year’s women’s race is unbelievably deep and truly something we have not seen for a very long time, if ever.
There are 10 sub-2:18 women lining up in London on Sunday, the most ever assembled for one marathon. Admittedly, it’s easier to find sub-2:18 women when there are more of them floating around: five years ago, only five women had ever broken that barrier, and twice that number will line up in London later today.
Still, that doesn’t mean the field isn’t mighty impressive. Among other things, it includes the marathon world record holder, history’s fastest debutant, and a host of Olympic, World Athletics, and London Marathon champions. Winning this race will likely be more difficult than winning in Paris: countries are only allowed to nominate three athletes, and once you factor in those who have already made the team, less than half of the top ten in London will be on the start line in the French capital.
Five of the strongest women in marathon running history, all of whom will be on the start line in London
While there are a host of exciting storylines to follow, many are most interested in seeing what Tigst Assefa does for an encore. At last year’s Berlin Marathon, Assefa defended her title and destroyed the marathon world record by more than two minutes, becoming the first woman to break 2:12 (and 2:13, and 2:14).
Assefa now heads the women’s field at the 2024 London Marathon, where they are ‘only’ targeting the women’s only world record of 2:17:01. (World Athletics recognises two world records for the women’s marathon: the outright world record, which Assefa holds, and the fastest time run in a women’s only race, which is being targeted later today).
“I’ve trained very well, just as I did for Berlin. We’ll see how well on Sunday, but I’m sure I can beat the record,” Assefa said at the pre-event press conference.
Tigst Assefa breaks the women’s marathon world record at the 2023 Berlin Marathon
(Photo Credit: ©SCC EVENTS/Jean-Marc Wiesner)
Alongside the Ethiopian will be the Kenyan trio of Brigid Kosgei, Peres Jepchirchir, and Ruth Chepngetich. While they will, of course, be looking to beat Assefa, they will also be racing amongst themselves; whoever loses won’t be going to the Olympics this year.
Kosgei and Jepchichir were once the two best marathoners in the world. Kosgei is the former marathon world record holder and won a record five World Marathon Majors from 2018 to 2022, while Jepchirchir went unbeaten at the distance in those same years. The pair also went 1-2 at the Tokyo Olympics.
But the marathon is cruel.
Both have been sidelined by injuries recently, with neither winning a Major in the last two years. They have assured us that they have returned to form ahead of the London Marathon, but in their absence from the top, Assefa has raised the bar. If they want to reach the highest level again, they don’t just need to find what they once had: they need to find even more.
Nevertheless, their confidence is encouraging. In the pre-race press conference, Kosgei assured everyone that she is ready to chase the world record, and Jepchirchir echoed a similar sentiment.
“I think the world record is definitely on. After that, may the best one win.”
Chepngetich was never the world’s best marathoner, but she’s always been within striking distance. And unlike her compatriots, she has remained healthy over the last two years, winning four marathons and putting herself fourth on the all-time list. After failing to finish the Olympic Marathon in Tokyo, she will be hungry for a spot on that Kenyan team.
It’s a testament to the depth of the field that some of the other women in this race have basically been relegated to afterthoughts. The likes of Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Joyciline Jepkosgei, both of whom have won this race in recent years, have hardly been mentioned in the media. Tigist Ketema, who ran 2:16:07 for the fastest-ever debut last year in Dubai, and 2016 Olympic champion Almaz Ayana have received similarly little attention, but that’s not because they are incapable of winning this race. Truthfully, any of the top 10 women could win this event without it being a major upset, which should make for some exciting racing later today.
Elite Men
The men’s field is nowhere near as deep as the women’s, but that’s not to say it isn’t strong. The Ethiopian contingent is particularly interesting, with eight of the fastest 10 entrants hailing from the East African nation. You’ve probably guessed it, but it’s not a coincidence that so many of them have travelled to London: following Sisay Lemma’s win in Boston earlier this week, two slots remain open on the national team for Paris 2024. I promise you’ll hear less about Olympic marathon selection after today, but for now, each of these men has come to the English capital in search of one of those spots.
In addition to Olympic selection, Kenenisa Bekele and Tamirat Tola will be targeting the London Marathon title that has so far eluded them, with Tola finishing third last year and Bekele’s best of five attempts being the second place he secured in 2017.
Tola is coached by Gemedu Dedefo, who also trains Monday’s Boston Marathon Champion, Lemma. In an attempt to get both men on the start line in Paris, Dedefo sent Lemma to Boston and Tola to London. The rationale was that they were both coming off course record runs in late 2023 (Lemma in Valencia and Tola in New York), and if they could each win a spring Major, the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) would have to select them. It’s a good plan, and with Lemma’s victory in Boston, its success now hinges on Tola.
Bekele, an 18-time world champion and the third-fastest marathon runner of all time, will be hoping to derail that plan. Despite what he insists, Bekele is definitely past his prime: he is two months shy of his 42nd birthday, but to his credit, remains very competitive on the marathon circuit. Last year, he ran a masters world record of 2:04:19 to finish fourth at the Valencia Marathon, and while that is an excellent time for a 41-year-old, the EAF isn’t handing out bonus points for age. Bekele was only the third Ethiopian in that race and will, therefore, need to pull off something really impressive today if he is to get the EAF’s attention.
Plenty of Ethiopians besides Tola and Bekele are looking for those Olympic spots. Leul Gebresilase will return to London after finishing second in 2022 and will line up alongside 2021 Chicago Marathon winner Seifu Tura. Dawit Wolde, who finished ahead of Bekele at last year’s Valencia Marathon, will also be there, as will sub-2:03 athlete Mosinet Geremew.
There are very few non-Ethiopian runners who could challenge for today’s podium, but Alexander Mutiso should be in the mix. He is the last athlete from the five-man Kenyan Olympic shortlist not to run his spring marathon, with the rest having opted to race in Tokyo last month. It will be his final chance to impress Athletics Kenya following his 2:03:11 runner-up performance at December’s Valencia Marathon.
Finally, Daniel Do Nascimento will be toeing the start line. The Brazilian trains in the same group as the late Kelvin Kiptum and has an infamously aggressive style that has carried him to the fastest marathon of all time by a non-African. It’s unlikely he will stand on the podium, but his tactics could certainly derail some of his competitor’s races.
Daniel Do Nascimento leads the 2022 New York Marathon
Find out how you can watch the 2024 London Marathon here.