Eliud Kipchoge, who became the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019 and is widely regarded as the greatest distance runner in history, returns to the London Marathon for the first time since 2020.
The record four-time winner is joined in the elite men’s race by defending champion Munyao and Ethiopia’s Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, but Kipchoge’s long-time rival Kenenisa Bekele was a late withdrawal.
Half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo makes his debut after becoming the first person to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes in February.
World record holder Ruth Chepngetich and 2024 winner Jepchirchir have withdrawn from this year’s elite women’s race.
But a stacked line-up still features two of the three fastest women in history in Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and Paris 2024 silver medallist Tigst Assefa.
All four reigning Olympic and Paralympic marathon champions will be present, with Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner contesting the elite wheelchair events.
Hug, who won a third consecutive Paralympic marathon in 2024, bids for a seventh – and fifth consecutive – London Marathon triumph, while compatriot Debrunner aims for a third London victory following five golds at Paris 2024.
The race winners will receive £41,000, while a £112,000 bonus will be paid to any man running under 2:02:00 or woman under 2:15:00.
