London Marathon 2025 Breaks Finishers World Record as Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa Star

A Marathon for the Ages: London Redefines the Finish Line

On a chilly April morning, London Marathon 2025 delivered more than dramatic finishes—it made history. The roar of 56,000 runners pounding the city’s streets didn’t just echo through Greenwich Park and past Tower Bridge—it set a new world record for most finishers, dethroning the previous champion, New York. Move over, Big Apple; London is the world’s biggest mass-runner spectacle now.

The race began with the usual pre-dawn nerves but quickly turned electric as elite runners and everyday athletes launched their 26.2-mile journey from Greenwich. Towering above the elite start list were marathon legends like Eliud Kipchoge, whose name dominated headlines for four consecutive London Marathon wins. Yet, for all the anticipation, it was Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe who stole the show in the men’s race. His 2:02:27 clocking was not just swift—it was defiant, beating a stacked field and leaving even Kipchoge in his wake as the marathon great landed in sixth place.

In the women’s contest, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa ran a race for the ages. She flew through the course in 2:15:50, not just beating but obliterating the previous women’s-only marathon record held by Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir since 2023. Assefa’s performance added another high-wattage chapter to her career, coming off her absolute world record in Berlin just two years ago. It wasn’t only about the clock. The way she dominated from the front put her in a league of her own, distancing rivals and erasing doubts anyone held about her prowess on the streets of London.

Records, Rookies, and Running Community Triumphs

With the spotlight on the top finishers, the atmosphere swelled with the collective energy of tens of thousands of personal victories. British triathlete Alex Yee made his marathon debut with a respectable 14th place, proving his endurance stretches well beyond the triathlon course. Scotland’s Eilish McColgan, fighting through a season marked by injuries, pulled off an impressive eighth place in the women’s elite race—her best performance at this tricky distance yet.

This year’s event was more than a showcase for top athletes. Over 40 world records fell across unique and sometimes quirky categories—runners in costume, those completing three-legged attempts, or pushing prams past the palace. London’s marathon always delivers surprises, but this year’s creativity on display was next level.

At the finish, CEO Hugh Brasher glowed with pride. Watching runners flood The Mall, he declared what many believed but now had proof: the London Marathon had become the “world’s greatest and biggest marathon.” Behind the soaring statistics and broken tapes were personal stories—first-timers hugging loved ones, charity runners celebrating months of hard training, and a running community more unified than ever after years of uncertainty. This year, London didn’t just break records—it utterly changed the landscape for what a marathon can be.