In a commanding performance under unusually warm conditions, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe claimed victory at the 2025 London Marathon, winning his first major marathon with a solo breakaway in the final stages. Sawe surged ahead from a leading pack of nine runners around the 32-kilometer mark, timing his move perfectly at a drinks station when others slowed for hydration. Despite temperatures climbing to 18°C (64°F), Sawe opted to skip water and maintained a relentless pace, finishing in 2:02:27—the second-fastest time in London Marathon history.
“I was well prepared for this race and that’s why it became easy for me to win,” Sawe said after the race.
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, the half-marathon world record holder making his marathon debut, tried to chase but never closed the gap, finishing 70 seconds behind in second place. Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso Munyao edged out Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands in a photo finish for third.
Sawe, 29, had previously won the 2024 Valencia Marathon but was competing in his first of the six prestigious World Marathon Majors—Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. His dominant performance continues Kenya’s streak of four consecutive wins in the London men’s race.
In the women’s race, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia delivered a historic performance, setting a new women-only marathon world record with a time of 2:15:50. She pulled away from Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya near the finish, overcoming last year’s second-place disappointment in London and at the Paris Olympics.
While Assefa’s time was 25 seconds slower than Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 mixed-race course record, it is now the fastest ever in a race exclusively for women. “The warmer weather really helped me today,” said Assefa, who struggled with hamstring issues in colder conditions last year. She adds the London title to her two previous Berlin Marathon victories.
Jepkosgei, the 2021 London champion, finished nearly three minutes behind after fading in the final stretch. Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, after falling behind midway through, secured third place, finishing over three minutes off the lead. This year’s London Marathon saw both men’s and women’s champions display remarkable strategic racing, setting the stage for a thrilling year in long-distance running ahead of the 2025 World Championships and 2026 Paris Olympics.
