Ethiopian Tigst Assefa won the London Marathon in a world record for a women’s only race, while Kenyan Sabastian Sawe took the men’s title to further his argument as the world’s top male marathoner.
Assefa clocked an unofficial 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds, breaking the women’s only world record of 2:16:16 set by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir at the 2024 London Marathon. It’s the second-fastest women’s time in London Marathon history behind Brit Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 from 2003, when she had male pacemakers.
Assefa, the Paris Olympic silver medalist, owns the second-fastest women’s marathon in history overall — 2:11:53 from Berlin 2023 with male pacemakers.
On Sunday, she pulled away from Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei just after the two-hour mark and won by a comfortable 2:53.
LONDON MARATHON: Results
Paris Olympic champion Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands placed third. She was dropped by Assefa and Jepkosgei around the halfway point.
Sawe, 29, won the men’s title in an unofficial 2:02:27, the second-fastest time in race history behind Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:01:25 from 2023.
Sawe pulled away from a lead group of eight around the 20-mile mark and ended up winning by 70 seconds over Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda.
Sawe ran his second marathon. Last December, he ran the fastest marathon of 2024, a 2:02:05 to win in Valencia, Spain, in his debut at 26.2 miles.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was sixth in 2:05:25. Kipchoge, in his first marathon since turning 40 years old, was dropped from the lead group in the 19th mile.
The next World Marathon Major will be Sydney’s debut on the series on Aug. 31. Kipchoge has already announced he will run it.
In all, there were 56,640 finishers at the London Marathon, breaking the record for the world’s largest single marathon. Last November’s New York City Marathon had 55,646.
London Marathon 2025 Results
Women’s Elite
1. Tigst Assefa (ETH) -- 2:15:50
2. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) -- 2:18:43
3. Sifan Hassan (NED) -- 2:18:59
4. Haven Hailu Desse (ETH) -- 2:19:17
5. Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) -- 2:22:32
6. Stella Chesang (UGA) -- 2:22:42
7. Sofiia Yaremchuk (ITA) -- 2:23:14
8. Eilish McColgan (GBR) -- 2:24:25
9. Rose Harvey (GBR) -- 2:25:01
10. Susanna Sullivan (USA) -- 2:29:30
Men’s Elite
1. Sabastian Sawe (KEN) -- 2:02:27
2. Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) -- 2:03:37
3. Alexander Mutiso (KEN) -- 2:04:20
4. Abdi Nageeye (NED) -- 2:04:20
5. Tamirat Tola (ETH) -- 2:04:42
6. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) -- 2:05:25
7. Hillary Kipkoech (KEN) -- 2:06:05
8. Amanal Petros (GER) -- 2:06:30
9. Mahamed Mahamed (GBR) -- 2:08:52
10. Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) -- 2:09:01
14. Alex Yee (GBR) -- 2:11:08 (Olympic triathlon champion)
World’s Largest Marathons in History (by finishers)
1. 2025 London Marathon — 56,640
2. 2024 New York City Marathon — 55,646
3. 2025 Paris Marathon — 55,499
4. 2024 Berlin Marathon — 54,280
5. 2024 Paris Marathon — 54,175
