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Tribute is planned for the fastest marathon runner in history, who died in a car accident in February
The TCS London Marathon will pay homage to Kelvin Kiptum, the men’s world marathon record-holder who sadly lost his life in a car crash, with a series of tributes this Sunday (April 21).
Kiptum won last year’s London Marathon in a course record of 2:01:25, narrowly missing Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record by just 16 seconds.
Last October, Kiptum then blitzed Kipchoge’s mark of 2:01:09 with a stunning 2:00:35 at the Chicago Marathon, becoming the first ever person to go sub-2:01 over 26.2 miles.
Ahead of this season, Kiptum was the heavy favourite to win the Olympic marathon gold medal in Paris and there were even hopes he could break the two-hour barrier at the recent Rotterdam Marathon (April 14).
However, on February 11, the 24-year-old Kenyan was tragically killed in a car accident alongside his coach Gervais Hakizimana. The news shocked the sporting world and tributes poured in from all over the globe.
Kelvin Kiptum (LM Events)
The London Marathon has therefore decided to honour Kiptum before the elite races begin on Sunday.
There will be a 30-second round of applause, a video of Kiptum’s life and performances will be played and Geoff Wightman, who is one of the announcers at the London Marathon, will also speak. Kiptum’s family won’t be present though.
“We want to celebrate the man,” says Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the London Marathon. “We’ll be doing this in conjunction with the BBC, as well, in terms of what they’re doing.
“There’ll be some words that Geoff will say, just to remind people [of Kiptum] and celebrate his short but impactful life.”
Women’s world marathon record-holder Tigist Assefa will make her first appearance in London and expectation is high. At last year’s Berlin Marathon, she ran 2:11:53, taking an astonishing two minutes and 11 seconds off Brigid Kosgei’s previous world record of 2:14:04.
Assefa and Kosgei will go head-to-head in London but they will also be joined by 2019 world champion Ruth Chepngetich, Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir and 2022 London winner Yalemzerf Yehualaw. This means three of the four fastest women in history are in the race.
Tigist Assefa (Getty)
“I think what she [Assefa] did in Berlin redefined my thoughts of what would probably happen in my lifetime,” adds Brasher.
“Do I believe that a woman is capable of sub-2:10 and it will happen in my lifetime? Yes. I go back to what Paula [Radcliffe] did in 2003 when she ran 2:15:25 and that world record stood for 16 years.
“These things go in cycles and you’d had a period of time where Paula’s record wasn’t broken for such a long time. Now we’ve got these new athletes whose minds are not so much defined by the past but the future instead.”
With any record-breaking performance at a marathon, talk of the ‘super shoes’ is not far away.
When Assefa ran 2:11:53, she wore a prototype of Adidas’s Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1s, one of the lightest racing shoes ever created.
How much should we embrace the ever evolving technology and is there also an impact for those who aren’t just elite athletes?
Hugh Brasher [Bob Martin]
“Without a doubt, the shoes have made a difference,” says Brasher. “The research has shown that the benefits vary for different [elite] athletes. It does depend on your game, so sometimes an athlete will have more of an advantage than someone else.
“It is also really helping the recovery [for mass runners]. Everyone’s talking about the speed and 100% it helps but it’s also aiding consistency and where the recovery is much better. The impact on your muscles is far more reduced.
READ MORE: 2024 London Marathon preview
“The last time I did a marathon was London in 2003. I did it six weeks after my father had passed away and I did it on no training. For quite a few days, I couldn’t really walk down the stairs afterwards.
“With the increase in times, it has meant that for next year’s race, we’ve had to reduce the good for age times – the automatic qualification marks to get into the London Marathon.”
Technology is not just exclusive to shoes though.
David Weir, who will be competing in his 25th consecutive London Marathon, will be buoyed by the fact that he has a new wheelchair, the same one used by Marcel Hug, who is the defending champion in the British capital and last weekend claimed an incredible seventh Boston Marathon crown.
David Weir in 2017 (Mark Shearman)
Three years ago Weir called Hug’s chair, helped designed by companies Swiss Side and Orthotec, a “Ferrari”.
“If I was asked to predict one winner this weekend it would have to be Marcel [Hug],” Brasher tells AW. “But the fact that David [Weir] is coming into London with this new wheelchair and is the most decorated winner of the London Marathon, I wouldn’t bet on it.
“I think overall, technology has always been at the forefront of moving society on.”
In a significant and historic moment for disability sport, the London Marathon will also be the first marathon in the world where prize money for both wheelchair and able-bodied athletes will be exactly the same.
The London Marathon wheelchair races were already the richest in the world. However, a further increase of $54,500 to the prize money means the total prize pot now stands at $308,000, creating parity with the able-bodied athletes.
This means that all winners in the elite races of the London Marathon will receive $55,000, with the runner-up earning $30,000 and third-place $22,500.
READ MORE: 2024 London Marathon preview
Brasher has hailed this as a “landmark move” and one that means the London Marathon will be the “most diverse and equitable” one in the world.
The expectation is for 50,000 runners to cross the finish line on Sunday with Brasher describing it as “the biggest London Marathon yet”.
Jasmin Paris, who became the first woman in history to complete the prestigious yet gruelling Barkley Marathons, will also be an official London Marathon starter alongside double Olympic middle-distance champion Kelly Holmes.
Jasmin Paris
Timetable and TV details
Saturday April 20
TCS Mini London Marathon – 9am
Sunday April 21
Elite wheelchair race – 9:05am
Elite women – 9:25am
Elite men – 10:00am
BBC coverage April 21
BBC One – 8:30am-2:00pm
BBC Two – 2:00-3:00pm and highlights 6pm
London Marathon at Tower Bridge (LM Events)
There will be two live streams from Tower Bridge and the Finish Line on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport app (and these are available on demand if runners want to watch themselves post-race). Tower Bridge cam runs from 11:30am to 2:30pm and the finish line cam runs from 1:00pm to 6:00pm.
For international broadcasts of the race, see here.
You can follow the runners in the official TCS London Marathon app too.
Plus of course keep up to date with our race week interviews and news on the AW social media channels and website.
Look out for coverage in our next print magazine as well which is due out at the beginning of May.
» Subscribe to AW magazine here
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