Kenya's Munyao hopes to retain London Marathon crown
Mutiso Munyao will be running in London for the second time in his career.
The much-anticipated and highly coveted London Marathon takes place on Sunday, with a star-studded field set to compete.
Among the list of performers include Alexander Mutiso Munyao, the reigning champion.
Eliud Kipchoge, who became the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours in 2019 and is widely regarded as the greatest distance runner in history, returns to the London Marathon for the first time since 2020.
The record four-time winner is joined in the elite men's race by defending champion Munyao and Ethiopia's Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, but Kipchoge's long-time rival Kenenisa Bekele was a late withdrawal.
Half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo from Uganda makes his debut after becoming the first person to run a half marathon in under 57 minutes in February and will likely be Munyao's main impediment to victory if he performs to satisfaction.
Mutiso Munyao will be running in London for the second time in his career after winning his first attempt in 2024 and he expects an 'epic' day with what he called the strongest field ever.
"I got courage from winning last year's marathon, so I said I would keep on coming here, to try my best again," he told the race organisers.
"There is always a world-class field in London. It's about who gives the best effort, and I hope to do so. I'm really grateful to be part of such an accomplished field, he added.
With more than 56,000 people expected to run, the race could surpass the 55,646 finishers at last year's New York Marathon as the best attended marathon in history.
World record holder Ruth Chepngetich and 2024 winner Jepchirchir have withdrawn from this year's elite women's race.
A stacked line-up though, still features two of the three fastest women in history in Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and Paris 2024 silver medallist Tigst Assefa and will as such be competitive.
Mutiso Munyao won the men's race in two hours, four minute,s one second last year, with compatriot Peres Jepchirchir victorious in a women's only world record of 2:16:16.
The race winners for this year's Marathon will receive £41,000 (Sh7.5 Million), while a £112,000 bonus (Sh 20 million) will be paid to any man running under 2:02:00 or woman under 2:15:00.