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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Brewin

London Marathon 2019: Kipchoge and Kosgei win men and women's elite races – as it happened

Eliud Kipchoge crosses the line to win.
Eliud Kipchoge crosses the line to win. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images

And that’s that from the elite racing at this year’s London Marathon - but there are still plenty of runners out there. Here’s Sean Ingle’s race report from The Mall:

More Mo – this time on Kipchoge: “He is a very special athlete and he is humble. If Eliud can run those sort of times it just gives us another level of possibility. It’s a different mindset chasing someone and it takes the pressure off me.”

Mo Farah speaks: “I felt great at the start, felt great halfway, but when the pacemakers dropped out at 20 miles, they got a gap on me and that gap was hard to close … from 20 miles the wheels came off and I was just hanging in there, to be honest.”

He congratulates Kipchoge on an incredible run and says he was not distracted by the spat before the race.

Here’s a snap race report from The Mall

In the women’s elite race, Brigid Kosgei managed to run the fastest ever second half of a marathon as she won her first London Marathon. It also goes without saying that Kipchoge managed to beat the course record. Confirmation of Mo Farah’s time here.

Updated

Here is the near-official time for one of the best runs in history.

Kitata comes fourth and Mo Farah is coming in for fifth, but has dropped off 2.05 pace, and looks to be suffering in a way we are not used to. Solid but not close to the extraterrestrial level set by Kipchoge et al. There were very few smiles from Farah as he came home and went behind the barriers. Beating Kichoge was always a dream too far. Haile Gebrselassie may be having a smirk at that. Callum Hawkins is meanwhile in contention and takes two minutes off his personal best to finish in the top ten. A brilliant run.

Updated

Geremew and Wasihun take the medal places after two of the best runs of all time for themselves. They are the best ever times for second and third place.

Eliud Kipchoge win the men's London Marathon

This has been a devastating run, and he waves to the crowd as he takes the win with a time of 2hrs 2 mins and 37sec. That’s the second fastest time in history.

Updated

The two-hour mark is here, and Kipchoge is in his final mile, and really enjoying himself now. The finish line is within 600 metres, and it must be said that Geremew and Wasihun continue to run superb races. Kipchoge turns the corner to certain victory.

Kipchoge takes full control! This is imperious. Only Geremew of the Ethiopians is left within two seconds, but dropping off, and Wasihun is now nine seconds back. There is a smile on the world record holder’s face as he surges along the banks of the Thames.

Gary Naylor tweets in. A good question, as one of the women’s contenders has just collapsed at the finishing line. More news when he we get it but she looked in distress.

Farah is time-trialling home from fifth place, and may be able to catch up Kintata, who has dropped off the famous four at the front and has lost the wheel of Kipshoge. Farah is on course for a PB and a Euro record, but the performance of the Kenyans and Ethiopians has shown the difficulty he will have in being as successful on the road as he was on the track. No disgrace in that, at all, of course.

Updated

Team GB glee.

It has to be said that the three Ethiopians with Kipchoge - Mosinet Geremew, Shura Kitata and Mule Wasihun - are running a great race, and this is set up for a finish.

The men’s race is into the last five miles, and Farah is passing the fun runners at the start of their race. That’s a star spot for them, while he can’t see Kipshoge, who is burning along and on course for being under 2.03. This is a breakneck pace, and one that someone with a PB of 2.05 could not expect to live with.

Krish tweets in: “”The favourite’s face is giving nothing away.” King Kip rarely shows any emotions. Even after the epic 2.00.25 at Monza he was just smiling He is Bjorn Borg of marathons.”

Kipchoge continues to lead, and is powering on with his three amigos. Farah is back in fifth. Charlotte Purdue did achieve her aim of a top-ten finish, which is jolly fine news for Team GB.

As we await the final throes of the men’s race, something from our news section.

Roza Dereje took the bronze in a sprint.

Updated

Brigid Kosgei wins the women's London Marathon

She powers home through the final 400m, the London bus at the end is in sight as she keeps sprinting, fancying a personal best as he heads for her crown. The 25-year-old has the victory and a PB. That was a superb run, and took apart an elite field. There was just one wobble when Vivian Cheruiyot got on her shoulder, but that was soon forgotten. Cheruiyot crawls home for second and the rest are a minute back. Kosgei has turned the tables on her from last year, judging her pace far better than last year’s blow-up.

Updated

Kosgei approaches her final mile of the women’s race with it all to herself and looks to be enjoying the run home as she heads down towards Birdcage Walk. Kipchoge has company, by contrast, as he passes 90 minutes of running.

Farah will have lost sight now of Kipchoge and co, and has a hell of a distance to make up on them. The favourite’s face is giving nothing away, as he leads the pack along. They have safety in numbers, but Farah looks lonesome. He might be on course to break his PB here, and still fall well short.

Updated

As Kosgei heads through the tunnels under the roads by the Thames, Cheruiyot is plugging on gamely for second place as they enter the last two miles. Kosgei is running for 2.20, a time that looked out of sight when they were bumbling through Blackheath.

Kipchoge is up there with Kitata, Wasihun and Geremew, and putting the hammer down on Farah. Meanwhile, Britain’s Charlotte Purdue is on the brink of a top-ten finish, eating up her rivals, and heading for a PB. If she finishes 10th, it qualifies her for the Olympics.

Updated

Kosgei is whizzing towards Westminster, Cheruiyot is long gone. The race is hers, barring disaster, and she did the last mile in 5 minutes. That’s a frantic pace and one that has just about won it for her.

Farah is stepping it up, but so are Kipchoge and his companions. No signs of panic from Sir Mo - when is there? - as they go past 15 miles. Worth saying that Kipchoge’s pace is just a second off a course record pace and Mo is running at the rate of his quickest times.

Kosgei is not giving this up whatsoever, and has now put three seconds into Vivian Cheruiyot as they surge along past 35km. She did the last mile in 5.05, which is very quick, with four miles to go. The gap is opening up, and she looks to have passed poor old Francisco Sanclemente, who is wheeling himself along.

Updated

Mo Farah dropped? Or is this a deliberate slowdown. The 14th mile seems to have caught him out, with the leaders doing it at 4 mins 32 seconds, ten seconds quicker than the previous pace. Farah is sat back, and using his pacemaker. He is five or six seconds behind Kipchoge.

Vivian Cheruiyot and Brigid Kosgei is the battle now for the gold medal in the women’s race. The three chasers behind them are out of sight. The older, more experienced campaigner in Cheruiyot is sat on her compatriot’s shoulder, and looks to have plenty in hand.

Updated

Kipchoge taking charge of the men’s event as Tower Bridge is negotiated, leading from the front but letting the pacemakers soak up the wind. Farah looks comfortable enough, very cool as he sips his drink at the back of the pack, in ninth with just a second between him and his big rival. Nobody is missing him, with his neon elbow sleeves resplendent. The halfway point has been passed.

Updated

Andrew Benton emails in: “John, was on the cusp of ranting about how little the winners will get compared to Wimbledon (42,500 vs 2.235 m) then looked at screen - and hence possible advertising - time (say 3 hrs for the marathon vs about 140 for Wimbledon) and on that basis the marathon is much more lucrative. 3 hrs of Wimbledon would net only 16, 000. So well done Marathoners, its a far higher value sport!”

Andy Murray’s ears are burning.

Updates from the official feed.

Kosgei and Cheruiyot are rattling away now as the speed through the glass-framed landscape of the edge of the City of London. Kosgei, the youngest of the contenders, looks full of running. They are in the vicinity of Limehouse, where the cool cats now reside.

Updated

Approaching 1 hours and 30 minutes in the women’s race and the main pack is sat tightly together, but something of a gap between Vivian Cheruiyot, Brigid Kosgei and Mary Keitany has opened. It’s a matter of feet, but still, that might be significant as Keitany drops behind.

In the women’s elite wheelchair, Tatyana McFadden and Madison De Rozario come in, fully five minutes behind Manuel Schär for the silver and bronze medal positions.

In the men’s, Mo Farah is a few yards behind Eliud Kipchoge, which seems more by design than accident.

Manuela Schär wins the women's elite wheelchair race

She is way out in front, and though her hopes of setting a record time have gone, she is fully five minutes clear of the rest to win her second London Marathon. Big smiles from her, unlike Romanchuk who was surprisingly taciturn, and rightly so, as that was a demolition job of the contenders.

Here’s Romanchuk powering home. As a winner of New York and Boston, and third last year in London, his victory was not a surprise but at 20, he looks to be the coming force in the sport. David Weir, by the way, came fifth.

Updated

Romanchuk wins the men's elite wheelchair race

American Dan Romanchuk, Swiss Marcel Hug and Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki are battling it out in the men’s elite wheelchair race. Romanchuk used a divide in the road to blindside them, and at Birdcage Walk, the American has the race in his grasp. Hug tries to give chase, but can’t keep up. Suzuki is dropped, too, and Romanchuk, just 20, powers home. Hug takes second. It’s two minutes back to David Weir and the pack.

Updated

Sinead Diver continues to lead as she powers across the Thames with water bottle in hand, and is on pace for 2.22-2.23, which would be sensational for a 42-year-old. It seems unlikely that she will hold that pace. The famous four, defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot, New York winner Mary Keitany, Chicago champion Brigid Kosgei and Berlin winner Gladys Cherono are in no way being run out of this.

Mo Farah’s sat at the back of the pack, in the fashion he likes to run on the track. With his fashionable shades, headgear and a very colourful vest, you can’t miss him. And he is getting plenty of encouragement as he motors along.

Updated

Weather update, live from London. The sky continues to be grey, with shards of sun poking through the clouds. If the drizzle that came down yesterday holds off, then these are good conditions. It was very windy yesterday but thankfully, Storm Hannah has ebbed away. And it looks like Storm Ian, Ivor, Ieuan or the like won’t be coming today.

Kipchoge currently leads the men’s elite race, with Mo Farah a second back, after 15 minutes as they speed past a brass band. No move made, just yet and that may be while in coming.

Sinead Diver continues to lead the women’s race at around the ten-mile mark, being guided on by one of those Toon Army pacemakers. The main contenders are grouped together, with Charlotte Purdue, of GB, in touch with them. That’s unexpected, and points to later fireworks in the race. The three other pacemakers are setting off into the West End with barely a glance back at the rest.

Updated

In the men’s wheelchair race, Daniel Romanchuk has been caught by Marcel Hugen and Japan’s Suzuki. Francisco Sanclemente, the racer who had that early snafu with his mechanics, has just passed over Tower Bridge and he is being caught by other athletes from other races. He may as well just enjoy his day out.

The men’s pacemakers are clad in fetching black and white shirts that remind of Arthur Cox-era Newcastle United, as worn by Kevin Keegan, Chris Waddle and Kenny Wharton.

Joe Strummer ran these marathons with no training, said the publicity of the time. The word was he was fit enough from all the gigging and pogo-ing.

Of they go, to the sound of airhorns, and it’s a great sight to see the pack go off together. Mo Farah and Kipchoge are at close quarters. Hawkins is in there, too.

Updated

The men’s race is about to begin. The official starter is none other than Sir Andy Murray, who has been giving a positive word on his hip. Callum Hawkins gets a big cheer, but the noise is reserved for Farah, and Kipchoge receives a decent ovation, as well he might.

Sinead Diver is going for this one from the front as the women’s race heads north and heads past a bookies and a Budgens. The news on David Weir is that he is half a minute off the lead in the men’s wheelchair race.

Updated

In the elite men’s wheelchair race, it appears David Weir is not in touch with the leaders so his ninth win looks a distant prospect. Manuela Schar, going for a sweep of marathon majors, seems to have slowed a tad, but is still way ahead of any visible rivals. In fact, her rivals are invisible, if they actually exist at all.

Joe Argall emails in a salient point: “In relation to the prize money, surely the money is all in the appearance fee. How much would they get just for toeing the start line? I seem to remember Hawkins getting many thousands just for turning up to the London 10k a couple years back.”

That can run into high five and low six figures, I believe, but open to guidance here.

The women’s elite race has passed the half-hour mark now. Not much movement among the favourites, as they keep within eye- and earshot of each other.

Manuela Schar goes over that Tower Bridge section in the women’s elite wheelchair race and has blazed away from the field. Madison de Rozario, of Australia, is in second place, but literally in a different postcode of London.

Updated

The leaders of the women’s elite race are on about 2 hrs 20 minutes pace, as they are past the 4.5 mile mark. The elite men’s wheelchair race is whipping towards Tower Bridge and the Thames beckons, as there is a sprint section - with prize money of $10,000 - of 400m as they exit the bridge. They turn out on a tight turn and freewheel down, as they head in the general direction of Westminster. The prize is awarded for the quickest time, rather than the first over but Daniel Romanchuk, the actual leader, looks to have taken the lolly from Marcel Hug.

Updated

Simon McMahon emails in: “Morning, John. What I know about marathon running you could write on the back of a mobile phone, but Farah must at least have a fighting chance against Kipchoge? How much does the winner get? Sorry, but somebody had to, thought it might as well be me.”

£42,500 is the gold medal prize fund for both men and women, Simon....

Updated

It’s very cagey in the women’s elite race, where the favourites are idling, relatively so, as those pacemakers pile on. That suggests a tactical race, where a finishing kick may be called upon. Ireland’s Sinead Diver, trying to win the race at 42, is prominent. Diver, a resident of Melbourne, Australia, holds the fastest ever time for an over 40-year-old for the half marathon.

Updated

In the women’s elite wheelchair race, Manuela Schär, the winner of this year’s Boston Marathon, has dropped the rest of the field already. It looks like she is chasing a time rather than a medal.

South London looking resplendent, the women pacemakers less so as they set off at a frightening lick that has left the pack behind. Three of them have rattled away and the main field has not responded.

Updated

The women’s elite race is just about to go, with the big favourites at the front, with Mary Keitany, who lost out when going for the world record last year, having won in 2017, and Vivian Cheryuiot, also of Kenya and last year’s winner, leading them off. Brigid Kosgei and Gladys Cherono, both also from Kenya, have won in Chicago and Berlin and are the other fancies. And off they go, with the four pacemakers going to the left, as they depart Blackheath.

Updated

The men’s elite wheelchair race has got off to a very odd start. Briton David Weir is going for his ninth win in the event and up with the pack in the early stages, but the big story is that the Colombian athlete Francisco Sanclemente has had a nightmare. He went nowhere from the gun as his wheelchair had stopped working. Some frantic repairs going on to the wheels but nothing works, to paraphrase Catweazle, and his race ends before it can begin.

Updated

Sean Ingle spoke to Callum Hawkins, the great Caledonian hope in this race.

Preamble

The sun is out, and the clouds are only a little greying. If the rain stays away, this would be the perfect conditions to run in. What are we looking for here? Well, Mo Farah has given us all a storyline to follow with his ultra-public spat with Haile Gebrselassie. He will have to put that behind him as he pads the streets of his home town, as he is running up against an all-time great in Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder, who has won 11 of 12 marathons. No pressure, Mo, but then again, he doesn’t like the quiet life much, does he?

With an excellent field in the women’s race and all the fun of the fun runners, it promises to be an excellent 38th London Marathon.

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