Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, 30, of Kenya, won Sunday’s London Marathon in 2:16:16, a pace of 5:12 per mile. In the process, she set a new women’s-only world record, bettering the 2:17:01 Kenya’s Mary Keitany ran in London in 2017.
Current world record holder Tigst Assefa, 27, of Ethiopia, placed second in 2:16:23, while Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, 30, was third.
Temperatures were near-ideal—in the mid-40s—although gusty winds blew from the north. Female pacers were told to take the lead pack through the halfway point at 1:07:30, a 5:09 pace. But they set out at a faster clip, leading a pack of nine women through 10K in 31:26, a 5:04 pace.
Seven remained at the halfway mark, which the group reached in 1:04:07, 5:07 per mile. The pacers dropped out not long afterward, and although the tempo continued to slow, the fast early miles took their toll on several competitors, including former world record holder Brigid Kosgei of Kenya.
By around mile 18, the pack thinned to four: Assefa, Jepkosgei, Jepchirchir, and Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu. The quartet ran their slowest 5K—16:53—between 30K and 35K, at which point Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 course record of 2:15:25 slipped away.
All four were still in contention in the final mile. With slightly more than 800 meters to go, Alemu tried to surge forward, but the others covered the move. Jepchirchir and Assefa nearly collided with about 400 meters to go as they battled for the inside position on a turn.
At that point, Jepchirchir made a definitive move to take the win, in a time exactly one minute faster than her previous personal best. She takes home $55,000 for the win; Assefa earns $30,000 for second place and Jepkosgei $22,500 for third place.
ran in London in 2017 last year, behind Alemu and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who did not return to defend her title. But in the fall, Jepchirchir missed the New York City Marathon due to injury. Her win represents a strong return and may influence the selection of the Kenyan marathon team; she’s hopeful she can return. “My plan and my prayer this year is to defend my title in Paris. I’m hoping to be among those selected to represent Kenya again," she said before the race. "We’ll see.”
Best Folding Treadmills, Susanna Sullivan, did not appear to start the race. Last year, she ran a personal best 2:24:27 to place 10th here, despite an injury she later found out was a from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with lingering injury and a case of COVID. How to Watch the 2024 London Marathon withdrew from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with lingering injury and a case of COVID.
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
