London Marathon 2014

Wilson Kipsang & Edna Kiplagat both sped away from their Kenyan compatriots to claim their London Marathon crown in a fascinating day of racing. World Record holder Kipsang finished in 2:04.29 to set a new London course record and send a message to the host of world class runners in his wake. After breaking away from the lead pack, with Stanley Biwott, Kipsang surged just after 40km & created a strong lead that was never going to be matched by a brave Biwott who ran a great race to finish 2nd as the Kenyans took 1st & 2nd. 3rd & 4th saw another good battle as Ethiopians Tsegaye Kebede & Ayele Abshero fought hard til the very end. Hometown hero Mo Farah (2:08.20) finished in 8th position behind another Ethiopian Tsegaye Mekonnen (5th in 2:08.06), and 2 more Kenyan superstars G Mutai (2:08.18) & Emmanuel Mutai (2:08.19). Immediately post race Farah said he was disappointed & declared he’d definitely returning to the marathon to try to better the 29yr old the British record (2:07.13) set by Welshman Steven Jones.

There was remarkable symmetry in the womens race as the Kenyan, Edna Kiplagat (2:220.21) & Florence Kiplagat (2:20.23) finished 1st & 2nd ahead of 3 Ethiopians; debutant Tirunesh Dibaba (2:20.35), Feyse Tadese (2:21.42) & Aberu Kebede (2:23.21) in 3rd, 4th & 5th. In both races the two neighbouring East African nations continued their dominance sweeping all 5 top spots. Edna Kiplagat’s strong finish to sprint away from compatriot Florence Kiplagat was also an indication of what was to come in the Men’s race as Kipsang’s strong finish also looked dominant with a blistering finish up the Mall in front of Buckingham palace. In what looked to be a perfect day on London hundreds of thousands lined the streets, many cheering on Mo Farah as more then 35,000 marathoners hit the streets in one of the great world marathons.

The #OUTFITrunners had a strong showing in London this year with 4 runners taking part. A big congratulations to Dee, Jenny, Claire & Daran.
London, the 2nd World Major Marathon of 2014, has been a great event & record breaking year. Wilson Kipsang’s new course record of 2:04.29 will certainly be hard to beat. From now all eyes will turn to Boston in just 8 days time as Dennis Kimetto, Lelisa Desisa & Gebremariam look to be favourites for the Men’s race, while Rita Jeptoo & Mare Dibaba head up a strong Womens field with many likely winners.