Alongside The Queen starting the race via the big screen, the return of two times winner Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya is making the headlines in the men’s race in the 38th staging of the Virgin London Marathon this weekend.
The 33-year-old Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist was only eight seconds away from the world record in 2016 but ran a personal best and course record of 2:03:05. He later went on to win the Olympic marathon and is looking forward to attempting a hat-trick of victories in the English capital.
The current world record for a marathon was set by Dennis Kipruto Kimetto in Berlin in 2014 but conditions in London this Sunday should be perfect for Kipchoge to threaten that mark and Betway make the Kenyan their 4/7 favourite to reach the winning line ahead of an estimated 40,000 runners, many of whom will be running in fancy dress.
The start of the London Marathon is one of the great sights in sport and the race has become an iconic event which is regularly oversubscribed. The annual fundraiser is again expected to raise millions of pounds for worthy causes and many of those lining the course, which winds past some of London’s most famous landmarks, will be cheering on Britain’s own Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah.
Farah, almost unbeatable over 5,000m and 10,000m on the track, has retired from mainstream athletics, bowing out at the World Championships in London last year. But he still thinks he has something to offer over the marathon distance of 26.2 miles, though is only ranked 27th of the elite runners in this year’s Virgin London Marathon. This will be the Briton’s second run in the race – he finished eighth in 2014 – and he has a lot of ground to make up on the likes of Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele.
Bekele is also a former Olympic 10,000m champion but he ran his first marathon in 2:05:04 compared to Farah’s 2:08:21 and, at 35, there may not be much improvement forthcoming, though he is now coached by Gary Lough, wife of still women’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe. Mo is 16/1 with Betway to upset the form book this weekend with Bekele at a general 11/2.
London Marathon Men’s Race Best Odds
Eliud Kipchoge 4/7, Kenenisa Bekele 11/2, Bedan Karoki 10/1, Daniel Wanjiru 12/1, Guye Adola 14/1, Sir Mo Farah 16/1, Abel Kirui 22/1, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie 33/1, Lawrence Cherono 50/1, Tolo Kikata 80/1
