LONDON: Defending champion Sabastian Sawe will return to the TCS London Marathon this year and is predicting a course record may be required for him to win for a second year in a row.

Sawe (KEN) headlines a star-studded field that also includes Jacob Kiplimo (UGA), last year’s runner-up and the newly crowned three-time World Cross-Country champion, who is also the world record holder for the half marathon (56:42) and the reigning Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion.

Also confirmed are Joshua Cheptegei, the 2024 Olympic Games 10,000m champion and world record holder for both the 5,000m (12:35) and 10,000m (26:11); the 2024 Olympic marathon champion, Tamirat Tola (ETH); and Yomif Kejelcha (ETH), who will be making his marathon debut after a sparkling track career that included a silver medal in the 10,000m at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

Amos Kipruto (KEN), the 2022 TCS London Marathon champion, and Deresa Geleta (ETH), the ninth-fastest man in history over the marathon (2:02:38), are other stellar names in this year’s line-up.

Germany’s Amanal Petros, who won a silver medal in the 2025 World Championships marathon (missing out on a gold medal in dramatic fashion by just 0:03 seconds), will lead the European charge alongside Britain’s Emile Cairess who was announced alongside the full domestic fields earlier this week.

It is the calibre of this field that has led Sawe to predict whoever wins the 2026 TCS London Marathon, on Sunday 26 April, will likely have to break the course record of 2:01:25 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.

Sawe said: “The TCS London Marathon course is one of the most beautiful and fastest courses in the world. It was my first time running in London last year and it was one of the proudest moments of my life to cross the line as champion. I am excited to be coming back in 2026 and I know now a little bit more about what I can expect. I am sure with the quality of athletes coming to London it will take another fast time to win again, perhaps the type of effort the great Kelvin Kiptum put in when he set the course record in 2023.”

Sawe’s winning time from last year of 2:02:27 (which included a blistering 60:57 over the second half of the course) was the second fastest time ever on the TCS London Marathon course, behind only Kiptum.

After his win in London last year, Sawe followed it up with victory at the 2025 BMW Berlin Marathon meaning he still has not lost a marathon in three races (Valencia 2023, London 2025 and Berlin 2025).

Today’s announcement completes the elite field reveals for the 2026 TCS London Marathon.

Earlier this week we revealed the leading British athletes taking part in April including Emile Cairess, Eilish McColgan, Jess Warner-Judd and Patrick Dever.

Marcel Hug (SUI) will aim to equal David Weir’s (GBR) all-time London Marathon record with an eighth win in the wheelchair races while reigning champion Tigst Assefa (ETH) will face world champion Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) and Olympic champion Sifan Hassan (NED) in the elite women’s race.

Hugh Brasher, London Marathon Events CEO, said: “Sabastian Sawe showed the world at last year’s TCS London Marathon that he is a man that could re-write the marathon record books so we are delighted to welcome him back for this year’s event. To run 2:02:27 with a negative split of 60:57 for the second half of the race showed the huge potential he has and we are looking forward to supporting Sabastian run as fast as possible in London on Sunday 26 April.

“We are delighted to have such incredible storylines and depth across all our elite races in the 2026 TCS London Marathon. From a British perspective, we are all excited to see how fast Emile Cairess and Eilish McColgan can run while the reunion of Tigst Assefa, Peres Jepchirchir and Sifan Hassan in the elite women’s race is a mouthwatering prospect for athletics fans across the world. Finally, there is Marcel Hug’s bid to join David Weir as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history in the wheelchair races. It promises to be another incredible year at the TCS London Marathon.”

2026 TCS LONDON MARATHON ELITE MEN ENTRY LIST

Sabastian Sawe (KEN, PB 2:02:05)
Jacob Kiplimo (UGA, 2:02:23)
Deresa Geleta (ETH, 2:02:38)
Amos Kipruto (KEN, 2:03:13)
Tamirat Tola (ETH, 2:03:39)
Amanal Petros (GER, 2:04:03)
Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN, 2:04:23)
Joshua Cheptegei (UGA, 2:04:52)
Shunya Kikuchi (JPN, 2:06:06)
Emile Cairess (GBR, 2:06:46)
Mahamed Mahamed (GBR, 2:07:05)
Philip Sesemann (GBR, 2:07:10)
Hassan Chahdi (FRA, 2:07:30)
Adam Lipschitz (RSA, 2:08:54)
Patrick Dever (GBR, 2:08:58)
Peter Lynch (IRL, 2:09:36)
Tim Vincent (AUS, 2:09:40)
Weynay Ghebresilasie (GBR, 2:09:50)
Tewelde Menges (GBR, 2:09:58)
George James (GBR, 2:10:10)
Liam Boudin (AUS, 2:10:28)
Jake Smith (GBR, 2:11:00)
Marc Scott (GBR, 2:11:19)
Jack Rowe (GBR, 2:12:31)
Andrew Fyfe (GBR, 2:13:20)
Alex Milne (GBR, 2:14:03)
Peter Le Grice (GBR, 2:14:45)
Sean Hogan (GBR, 2:14:51)
Jake Barraclough (GBR, 2:14:55)
Christopher Thomas (GBR, 2:14:55)
Chris Perry (GBR, 2:14:57)
David Bishop (GBR, 2:15:16)
Charlie Sandison (GBR, 2:15:38)
William Mycroft (GBR, 2:15:54)
Yomif Kejelcha (ETH, Debut)
Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH, Debut)
Isaia Kipkoech Lasio (KEN, Debut)
Alfie Manthorpe (GBR, Debut)

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