Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge has suggested that this year’s London Marathon may be his final competitive race.
The 40-year-old returned to the British capital and finished sixth in a field stacked with elite athletes. Speaking to Olympics.com, Kipchoge hinted that he may have run his last race at this level.
“It might be the last time I come here to run competitively,” he said. “I think I’ll be going around the world to run in big city marathons for a cause, for education, and for conservation. But above all, I’m still having one more year.”
Kipchoge’s illustrious career includes 11 World Marathon Major victories, four of which were claimed in London. He also has five Berlin Marathon titles, including his personal best of 2:01:09—then a world record and still the second-fastest marathon time in history.
He remains the only human to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40 during a specially arranged event in Vienna in 2019. He also defended his Olympic marathon title at the Tokyo 2020 Games held in 2021, having first won gold at Rio 2016.
Despite his stellar career, Kipchoge says he no longer runs for accolades.
“I have nothing to prove. I am not competing with anybody at all. I’m competing with myself. I’m competing with my message, my values,” he said.
“I’m running with the values of sport. I’m running with the values of humanity. That’s why I’m running—no competition, nothing to prove but humanity.”
Kipchoge also shared his admiration for the London Marathon, calling it a movement.
“I always say the London Marathon is a movement, and it has been proved today. The support of the fans, the crowd all around the streets of London—it was awesome,” he said.
“These are the streets where the Olympics have been held three times. The London Marathon speaks the language of the Olympic spirit, and that’s why I’m here—to inspire the next generation.”
