Peres Jepchirchir has pulled out of the 2025 London Marathon, ending her bid to defend the women's-only world record she set last year. The Kenyan star, who clocked 2:16:16 in 2024, revealed that a stress fracture picked up during her December runner-up finish in Valencia stalled her preparations and she only resumed training in late January.
The 32-year-old informed organisers that the lost weeks left her short of the fitness required for the 26 April race. Jepchirchir had already missed the 2023 London Marathon because of an ankle problem and now faces a second straight absence from the course she conquered in record-breaking fashion 12 months ago.
Her withdrawal follows that of 2024 Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, who withdrew earlier with an Achilles issue, stripping the field of its two biggest names. Race promoters will now reshuffle the elite women's start list with three weeks to go before the mass-event start on the capital's streets.
The London Marathon just lost its headline act, yet this could turn the women's race into the most open contest in years. Jepchirchir's exit removes the only athlete who has broken 2:17 without male pacers, leaving a pack of 2:18-2:20 runners suddenly believing victory is possible.
Tactically, the absence of both Jepchirchir and Hassan scrambles every team's plans. Agents and coaches who had built their schedules around tracking the Kenyan's patented mid-race surge must now scout lesser-known athletes with faster closing speed but slower opening halves. Expect a slow, cagey first 30 km as no one wants to tow the field through the windy sections of Docklands without the safety net of a world-beater up ahead.
For Nigerian fans, the gap at the top offers a sliver of hope that the continent's other distance talents can step into the spotlight. While Kenya still dominates women's marathon depth, Ethiopia's emerging names or even Uganda's runners now have a clearer path to a prestigious London crown, something African athletics watchers outside Kenya have craved.
Watch to see if organisers fast-track any late entries; a surprise big-name replacement could still salvage the narrative and reset the betting markets overnight.
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