Every year London Marathon Events aims to assemble the 'best-ever' elite field for the TCS London Marathon. This year's London Marathon on Sunday 27 April 2025 will easily surpass anything ever seen in the 45-year history of this fabulous event.

For the first time, the three fastest women in the world are racing and all three boast PBs inside 2:14:00! All four Paris Olympic champions are confirmed – Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) and Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) are joined by Switzerland's wheelchair gold medallists Catherine Debrunner (Switzerland) and Marcel Hug (SUI) – as are both of London's defending champions Alex Mutiso (Kenya) and Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya).

The women's race should be the outstanding event as it is headed by world record holder Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya, 2:09:56), Olympic silver medallist Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia, 2:11:53) and the surprise 2023 London champion Sifan Hassan (Netherlands, 2:13:44). Six elite women have beaten 2:17:00 so the women's course record of 2:16:16, set by Peres Jepchirchir last year, is surely on borrowed time!

The men's race includes the second-fastest marathoner in history – the peerless Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya, 2:01:09) will run London for the first time since 2020 – and the fifth-fastest, Sabastian Sawe (Kenya, 2:02:05). Another sub-2:03:00 competitor is Timothy Kiplagat (Kenya, 2:02:55) among the six men who have beaten 2:04:00 in a 26.2-mile race.

The men's category is all about exciting debuts as the second-fastest over the half-marathon distance (57:31) Jacob Kiplimo, of Uganda, dips his toes in marathon waters. Kiplimo is the reigning World Cross Country Champion.     

Leading Brits entered include Paris Olympic fourth-placer Emile Cairess (Leeds City AC, 2:06:46) who set his PB with third in London last year. Also expected to shine is Mahamed Mahamed (Southampton AC, 2:07:05) who was fourth last year. There is also great excitement to see how Paris Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee (Kent AC) will fare on his marathon debut.

Another eagerly anticipated debut will be the late arrival on the marathon start line of Eilish McColgan (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers), who ran 1:05:43 for half the distance but was prevented from competing in 2023 and 2024 by injury and illness. Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot, 2:22:17) and Rose Harvey (Clapham Chasers, 2:23:21) are the fastest Brits entered.

No wonder Hugh Brasher, London Marathon Events CEO, when describing the elite fields for the 2025 TCS London Marathon as the greatest in the history of the event, said: "We are always proud when we hear athletes say that the TCS London Marathon is harder to win than the Olympic or Paralympic marathon. The reason they say that is because of the quality of the fields we assemble here in London and this year, our historic 45th edition, is stronger than ever before.”

You can view the 2025 TCS London Marathon Elite Entry Lists here.   

Photo of the elite women's finish line in 2024 courtesy of TCS London Marathon