Why Jacob Kiplimo’s London Marathon debut will have the whole world watching

The 24-year-old smashed the world record for the half marathon in February and now attempts his first attempt at the full distance

Jacob Kiplimo could challenge the world record on debut over 26.2 miles in London (Adam Davy/PA Wire)

To many, it was the unthinkable. To Jacob Kiplimo, it was “the perfect race”. In February, the 24-year-old Ugandan didn’t just reclaim the half-marathon world record, he obliterated it: his time of 56 minutes and 42 seconds in Barcelona was 48 seconds faster than the previous mark. World Athletics said it was the greatest single improvement on the men’s half marathon ever recorded.

And the most impressive part? Kiplimo may have been just warming up. He confirmed shortly afterwards that he would not compete again until his debut over the full distance, at the London Marathon on Sunday. “I never imagined to perform under the 57-minute barrier, that’s astonishing,” Kiplimo said. Do the maths, and a sub-two-hour marathon, once considered the unbreakable record, is in sight.

But it’s not on his mind. This is his debut, after all, and February was also two months ago. “I’ve seen a lot of people posting about it, saying I will be the one,” said the world half-marathon champion. “I have to first run a good race, my own race.”

Kiplimo is preparing for his marathon debut in London (Action Images via Reuters)

Others will be watching with interest, among them the greatest of all time. That Kiplimo’s highly-anticipated marathon debut comes alongside Eliud Kipchoge’s return to London adds another layer to the plot. Kipchoge, the greatest marathon runner of all time and a four-time winner in London, became the first person to break the two-hour barrier in unofficial conditions in 2019 and believes the first official record could arrive soon, perhaps on Sunday.

“He’s capable of running anything,” Kipchoge said of Kiplimo. “He has a good mind, of trying to take on any challenge. Absolutely, yes. He can do it.”

At the age of 40, Kipchoge maintains he can still compete with the best in the world on his first appearance at London since 2020. But the Kenyan welcomes the reality that the younger generation are getting faster, too, as developments in shoe technology help to lower records. “The future is good,” he said. Kipchoge has more London marathon wins than anyone else, but the sense is he is just as excited to see how fast Kiplimo can go.

Eliud Kipchoge is back in London having dropped out of the Olympic marathon in Paris last summer (Action Images via Reuters)

It remains a huge step up for Kiplimo, who said he has increased his mileage to over 220km per week for the marathon. But it’s not yet a permanent move. The Ugandan said his track career, which has brought bronze medals in the 10,000m at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, is not yet over, hinting that he may take inspiration from Sifan Hassan and her exploits across multiple disciplines.

Kiplimo chose to make his debut in London because it offers a flat course and ideal conditions. He joins a stacked start line that includes six men to have gone under the 2:04:00 mark. There’s not just Kipchoge, but last year’s London winner Alexander Mutiso and Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe ran 2:02:05 on his marathon debut in Valencia in December and is now set for just his second marathon attempt.

Sawe’s effort in Valencia was the second fastest marathon debut ever recorded, following Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:01:53 in the Spanish city the previous year. Kiptum went on to lower his personal best and take the world record in Chicago in 2023, before his tragic death in a car crash at the age of just 24.

Kiplimo’s London debut comes a year on from the tributes that were paid to the late Kiptum on the start line. The Kenyan won the London Marathon in a course record and his death was devastating for the sport. He was a star of the present and the future and an extraordinary talent was taken too soon.

Kiplimo’s astonishing sub 57-minute run in Barcelona signals that the sport of distance running has found another. His first look at the London streets will be box office, even for those joining him on the start line.