Jacob Kiplimo and Joshua Cheptegei will headline Uganda’s presence at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, with both confirmed for the elite men’s race scheduled for April 26. The announcement places the focus firmly on Uganda’s leading distance runners as they line up against a deep international field in one of the world’s fastest marathons.
Kiplimo returns to London after an impressive marathon breakthrough over the past year. He finished second on his debut in the race last season, setting a Ugandan record of 2:03:37, before lowering that mark to 2:02:23 with victory in Chicago in October. The 24-year-old has since reinforced his range and endurance by winning a third straight world cross-country title in Tallahassee, underlining his status as one of the most complete distance runners in the sport.
Cheptegei, the world record-holder over 5000m and 10,000m, will also be back on the London start line as he continues his transition to the marathon. The Olympic champion posted a personal best of 2:04:52 in Amsterdam last October and will be aiming to take another step forward over the distance against the strongest field he has faced in a major marathon.
The Ugandan pair will take on defending champion Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, who won last year’s race in 2:02:27, as well as Ethiopia’s Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola and a host of other established names. The depth of the field has already sparked talk of another exceptionally fast race on the London streets.
“The TCS London Marathon course is one of the most beautiful and fastest courses in the world,” Sawe said. “It was my first time running in London last year and it was one of the proudest moments of my life to cross the line as champion. I am excited to be coming back in 2026 and I know now a little bit more about what I can expect. I am sure with the quality of athletes coming to London it will take another fast time to win again, perhaps the type of effort the great Kelvin Kiptum put in when he set the course record in 2023.”
For Uganda, the race represents another major opportunity to assert its growing influence in the marathon. With Kiplimo already established as a winner at the distance and Cheptegei still refining his approach, London offers a high-profile stage for both athletes to test themselves against the very best and continue Uganda’s strong tradition in global distance running.
