Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei, the world record holder in the 5,000m and 10,000m, took another step in his marathon transition at the 2025 Tokyo Marathon, but his performance raised concerns about his long-term prospects on the roads.
Despite improving his personal best by three minutes to 2:05:59, Cheptegei finished 9th in a race won by Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele in 2:03:23.
Unlike his marathon debut in Valencia in 2023, where he went out aggressively and faded badly to 37th place, Cheptegei opted for a more controlled approach in Tokyo.
He ran with the second pack, reaching the halfway mark in 62:09, but still struggled in the later stages, running a positive split of 62:09-63:50.
While he moved up 12 places in the second half, this was largely due to others fading rather than a strong closing effort from him.
Cheptegei acknowledged before the race that he was still “a student of the marathon” and on a learning curve, but his performance left lingering doubts.
For a man who has run 12:35 for 5,000m and 26:11 for 10,000m, finishing 9th in a race where Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega recently clocked 2:05:15 to win in Seville is far from encouraging.
His predecessors in track dominance, like Kenenisa Bekele and Mo Farah, posted similar struggles early in their marathon careers but showed sharper improvements in their second outings.
With Cheptegei fully committed to the marathon in 2025, the question now is whether he can make the necessary adjustments to become competitive at the highest level.
If he struggles again in his next outing, pressure will mount for him to consider returning to the track, where he remains one of the best in the world.
The upcoming World Championships in Tokyo this September offer a tempting chance to chase history—if he chooses to take it.
