As Jacob Kiplimo prepares to make his marathon debut at the 2025 TCS London Marathon this Sunday, his agent Federico Rosa has moved to temper the growing speculation around a potential world record performance.
Kiplimo, the 24-year-old Ugandan distance star and current half-marathon world record holder, stunned the running world earlier this year with a 56:42 showing in Barcelona.
The time sparked widespread discussion about whether he could challenge the two-hour barrier or Kelvin Kiptum’s marathon world record of 2:00:35.
However, Rosa made it clear on Friday that their team is managing expectations.
“He has run extremely quick for the half, but we’re not talking about sub-two hours,” Rosa told reporters during the pre-race press conference in London. “I expect us to be somewhere around 2:01, 2:02 in the men’s race.”
While fans and pundits have tipped Kiplimo as the heir apparent to Kiptum’s record, Rosa emphasized that Sunday’s focus would be on delivering a strong, controlled debut rather than chasing historic times.
Kiplimo himself echoed the cautious approach, stating that his primary goal was to perform well against a deep field and possibly secure a podium finish.
The London men’s field will feature defending champion Alexander Mutiso, four-time winner Eliud Kipchoge, and Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola.
Kiplimo will also be drawing on significant preparation, having doubled his training volume in recent months to 220 kilometres per week in anticipation of the demands of the marathon distance.
Kiplimo’s transition to the marathon comes after years of dominance over the half marathon and cross country distances, where he established himself among the world’s elite.
While comparisons have been made to his compatriot Joshua Cheptegei—whose marathon debut fell short of expectations—Rosa and the team are taking a measured approach for Kiplimo’s first full 42.2-kilometre race.
