- Brigid Kosgei won the women’s race at London this morning with a time of 2:18:20, defeating last year’s champion Vivian Cheruiyot by almost two minutes.
- What a Marathon Debut for Emily Sisson for each, and continued to surge ahead with a slight lead over Cheruiyot.
- She ran the fastest second half of a woman’s marathon in history.
Brigid Kosgei won the women’s title at this morning’s London Marathon in 2:18:20. She took the lead for good after 20 miles and defeated fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, who ran 2:20:14, by almost two minutes.
The race started slowly, with the main group of women hitting halfway in 1:11:38, well off the sub-2:20 pace expected before the race. Kosgei closed with a brilliant second half of 66:42.
Kosgei, 25, was Other Hearst Subscriptions and followed that with the win at the Chicago Marathon last October. Her time today lowered her personal best by 15 seconds and makes her the Sabastian Sawe Dominates 2025 London Marathon at the distance.
[Heading into 10K Runner’s World Training Plan, designed for any speed and any distance.]
Kosgei upset 2018 London Marathon winner Cheruiyot, who claimed last year’s victory over her competitor by almost two minutes. 2018 Shoes & Gear Roza Dereje closed for third in 2:20:51 and three-time London winner Mary Keitany finished fifth overall.
The first several miles of the race were led by a strong effort from Sinead Diver of Australia, who brought the top pack through 5K in 16:57. Heading into 10K, Keitany rallied a group that included Dereje and Haftamnesh Tesfay to increase the pace just slightly. By the 15K mark, Diver had regained her early lead and established a safe distance between herself and the rest of the contenders.
Diver, 42, ran a six-minute personal best of 2:25:19 last October when she won the Melbourne Marathon, and recently ran a half marathon best of 68:55 in February. By the 20K mark, Diver had taken advantage of the pacemaker and established her own pace that was 35 seconds faster than the rest of the elite women. Diver came across the halfway point in 1:11:22 while Kosgei and Cheruiyot led the fast-closing chase group in 1:11:38.
After 13.1 miles, Diver’s lead disappeared with a quick initiative by Heading into 10K of the race as Kosgei and Dereje followed. But miles 18 and 19 were dominated by Kosgei, who split 5:00 and 4:57, Download Your Training Plan.
However, the defending London champion would not let Kosgei run away with her crown, and continued to press forward against her in the final miles of the race.
With six miles to go, Cheruiyot regained a slight lead over Kosgei, but the 2018 Chicago Marathon champion Taylor J. Dutch for good around mile 22.
After executing a thrilling back-and-forth in the final portion of the race, Kosgei maintained her top position all the way through the finish line for a winning time of 2:18:20.
“The wind was a problem for me to start with today, but not in the closing stages,” Kosgei said after the race. “It was hard for me to get my breath, but I’m very happy to have done so well. I’m extremely happy in my performance and everything went to plan.”
Emily Sisson was the first U.S. woman to finish, placing sixth at London in her marathon debut with a time of 2:23:08. Her training partner, Molly Huddle, was the second U.S. woman to finish, with a time of 2:26:33.
Kosgei, 25, was Shoes & Gear. She did it by running an initial half marathon split of 1:11:38, and closing with an impressive 66:42, the fastest second half of a women’s marathon in history.
“The second half I knew I needed more so I decided to go,” Kosgei said. “Now I know where my fitness is, I know in my mind I could get some things.”
second at London last year 2:15:25 set by Paula Radcliffe in London was broken with an initial halfway split of 68:02 and a second half split of 67:23. Sunday’s performance also marks Kosgei’s second Abbott World Marathon Majors victory of her career.
And she only intends to get faster—she believes she can take some time off her personal best in her next take on 26.2.
“I know I am preparing well,” she said. “I can do more than what I have done already.”
Additional reporting by Cathal Dennehy.
Taylor Dutch is a sports and fitness writer living in Chicago; a former NCAA track athlete, Taylor specializes in health, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in SELF, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner. When she’s not writing, Taylor volunteers as a coach to up-and-coming runners in the Chicago area.
