MEN Defending champion Sabastian Sawe (KEN, 2:02:05) returns having won London and Berlin in 2025. He faces Jacob Kiplimo (UGA, 2:02:23), the reigning Chicago champion and three-time world cross-country champion, and track royalty making the marathon transition: Joshua Cheptegei (5,000m and 10,000m world record holder) and Yomif Kejelcha on his marathon debut. Tamirat Tola, the 2024 Olympic marathon champion, is also in the field. Sawe himself has predicted the course record (Kelvin Kiptum, 2:01:25) may be needed to win. British interest now centres on Phil Sesemann (2:07:10) and Mahamed Mahamed (2:07:05), separated by just five seconds on paper, with Emile Cairess having withdrawn. Patrick Dever (2:08:58) makes his London debut and will be one to watch further down the British pecking order. --- WOMEN Note: Sifan Hassan and Peres Jepchirchir have withdrawn. That leaves defending champion Tigist Assefa (ETH, 2:11:53) as the headline act. She set the women-only world record of 2:15:50 on this course in 2025 and will face Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN, 2:14:00), who ran the fourth-fastest time in history at Valencia in December. Hellen Obiri makes her London debut, bringing a lethal finish from her two Boston and two New York titles to a flatish course for the first time. On the British side, Eilish McColgan leads a competitive domestic field that also includes Rose Harvey, Jess Warner-Judd and Abbie Donnelly.   submitted by   /u/AutoModerator [link]   [comments]