London Marathon 2025 prediction: Kiplimo and Hassan to make history in the capital

Read the latest odds and tips ahead of the 2025 London Marathon on Sunday

Tigst Assefa (L) Sifan Hassan (C) won silver and gold respectively at the Summer Olympics in Paris (Getty Images)

London Marathon Betting Tips

• Jacob Kiplimo to win the men’s race - 2/1 Bet365
• Sifan Hassan to win women’s race - 4/7 Bet365

---

The 2025 London Marathon takes place this weekend as over 56,000 runners take to the streets of the capital to tackle the 26.2-mile course.

Thousands of novice runners will be participating alongside some of the finest long-distance athletes on the planet as PBs are broken, records are targeted and millions are raised for charity on what is often one of the most feel-good days of the sporting calendar.

As always, there are plenty of intriguing storylines among the pro runners for this year’s event, with chief executive Hugh Brasher labelling the 2025 edition as the greatest elite field in history.

All four Olympic and Paralympic champions will be competing in 2025, along with British Olympic triathlon gold medalist Alex Yee, 2024 London champion Alexander Mutiso Munyao, former men’s and women’s world record holders Eliud Kipchoge and Tigist Assefa, and Jacob Kiplimo, the men’s half marathon world record holder who is making his debut over 26.2 miles.

And it’s the latter who heads in the weekend as the early 2/1 favourite for the men’s race on betting sites.

As for the women’s race, it’s Olympic gold medallist Sifan Hassan, who enters as the 4/7 favourite to sweep Paris and London.

London Marathon betting preview: Kiplimo out to make history

The 24-year-old Jacob Kiplimo will have plenty of eyes on him this weekend as he makes his full marathon debut, with the Ugandan aiming for a win in his first ever race over 26.2 miles.

And there’s plenty of expectation on Kiplimo’s young shoulders too after he shattered the half-marathon world record in Barcelona in February with a time of 56 minutes and 42 seconds – 48s faster than the previous record.

While there will be some wondering if Kiplimo could be the one to break the sub-two-hour-marathon mark, it would be an equally as impressive achievement to win the race on his debut.

He will face stiff competition from Paris Olympics champion Tamirat Tola and last year’s London victor Alexander Mutiso, who won in a time of 2:04:01. Nevertheless, Kiplimo may well justify the hype and win London at the first attempt.

London Marathon prediction 1: Jacob Kiplimo to win the men’s race - 2/1 Bet365

London Marathon tips: Hassan chasing Paris and London double

There’s a fascinating field assembled for this year’s women race, even with world record holder Ruth Chepngetich (2:09:56,) and 2024 women’s winner Peres Jepchirchir having withdrawn.

In fact, there are still two of the fastest women in history competing in 2025, with Sifan Hassan and Tigst Assefa likely to face off for gold in the capital – just as they did at Paris 2024.

Back in July, Hassan won gold for the Netherlands with a time of 2:22:55, just three seconds better than Assefa, who took home silver for Ethiopia in a time of 2:22:58.

First place is likely to be contested by the pair again, with Hassan offered at odds of 4/7 on betting apps, compared with Assefa’s 2/1.

London Marathon prediction 2: Sifan Hassan to win women’s race - 4/7 Bet365

Responsible Gambling

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

When using gambling sites, be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you’re using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

• NHS Help
• GambleAware
• Gamblers Anonymous

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.