Press Release - London Marathon - 11/30/17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


   Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge to run the Virgin Money London Marathon
   
30/11/2017

Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will return to the Virgin Money London 
Marathon on 22 April 2018 looking to make it a hat-trick of wins in the 
capital.

The Kenyan superstar won in 2015 and was an agonising eight seconds away 
from the current world record of two hours two minutes and 57 seconds when 
he won again a year later.

Kipchoge, 33, will now return in 2018 looking to confirm his status as the 
greatest marathon runner of his generation.

"The Virgin Money London Marathon is a race that holds very special 
memories for me," he said. "I won it in 2015 and 2016 and both are days 
that I will never forget.

"I came so close to breaking the world record in 2016 and it is natural for 
anyone in that situation to think of what might have been. But that race 
gave me the confidence to go on and win the Olympic title in Rio and run so 
well throughout 2017."

After his second London victory in 2016, Kipchoge went on to win the 
Olympic marathon in Rio and become the fastest marathoner in history when 
he ran 2:00:25 in an unratified race in Monza, Italy.

His last 26.2 miles was the BMW Berlin Marathon in September when he again 
went close to the world record, this time finishing in 2:03:32 – 36 seconds 
off the mark set by his countryman Dennis Kimetto in Berlin in 2014.

"I feel like I’m in good form," said Kipchoge. "Berlin was difficult 
because the weather was not good but my time showed I was in the right 
shape. As ever with marathon running, everything needs to come right on the 
day. The competition is always tough in London so I must wait and see how 
well I train and what the weather will be. I know that I have the world 
record in me so we will have to wait and see what happens."

Kipchoge is the second star name to be added to the men’s elite field for 
the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon after Britain’s own Olympic champion 
Sir Mo Farah.

Farah is following a well-trodden path from the track to the marathon with 
Kipchoge by far the most successful convert of his generation.

Kipchoge, who won four global medals over 5,000m on the track including 
World Championships gold in 2003, said: "It does take time to make that 
switch but I’m sure Mo will be successful. It’s great he will be racing the 
London Marathon next year because I’m sure that will make the atmosphere 
even more special."

A win for Kipchoge in London could also see him take back-to-back Abbott 
World Marathon Majors series wins. He won Series X and currently sits joint 
top of the Series XI leaderboard after his win in Berlin. Series XI started 
at the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon and will finish at the 2018 Virgin 
Money London Marathon.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors are made up of: Tokyo, Boston, London, 
Berlin, Chicago and New York.

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