Jacob Kiplimo’s second-place finish in his marathon debut at the 2025 London Marathon is a major statement in the distance running world. Clocking 2:03:37, he not only broke Uganda’s national marathon record but also managed to stay close to Kenya’s Sebastien Sawe, who won with 2:02:27—a world-class time.
Kiplimo, already the half marathon world record holder, is showing signs of transitioning smoothly to the full marathon, which could hint at a dominant future in the distance. This result places him immediately among the elite in global marathon racing.
Do you want a comparison of his debut performance with other great marathoners’ first attempts?
