Published by FindMyMarathon.com
April 28, 2025
The 2025 London Marathon unfolded under sunny skies, providing slightly above ideal temperatures for distance running, but still contributing to a day of impressive achievements. Sabastian Sawe dominated the men's race, pulling away around mile 20 to secure victory in 2:02:27, the second-fastest London time ever. In the women's race, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia set a new women's-only world record of 2:15:50. Assefa's time was the second-fastest women’s time in London Marathon history behind Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 from 2003, when she had male pacemakers.
Beyond the elite competition, the atmosphere was electric the largest marathon field ever (56,640 runners) traversed the iconic course through London's streets. Many participants celebrated personal milestones, with cheers erupting across the course for those achieving personal bests and long-sought-after finish times. The mostly favorable conditions seemed to inspire runners of all abilities, creating a palpable sense of accomplishment from the elite finishers to the final participants crossing the line near Buckingham Palace.
The 2025 London Marathon showcased a strong contingent of fast runners, with an impressive 2,977 athletes achieving the coveted sub-three-hour finish. This elite group comprised 2,722 men, 254 women, and 1 non-binary runner. While still a significant number, this represents a decrease compared to the 3,690 runners who broke the three-hour mark in the 2024 edition.
The women's field also demonstrated considerable speed, with 1,795 female runners finishing in under 3 hours and 30 minutes in 2025. This figure, however, shows a notable reduction from the 2,036 women who achieved this milestone in the 2024 race.
At the very sharp end of the competition, the number of runners achieving sub-2:30 was also fewer than in 2024. In 2025, 210 athletes crossed the finish line in under this elite time, a slight decrease from the 229 runners who accomplished this feat in 2024.
| Year | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Median Finish Time | 4:30:49 | 4:19:09 |
| Under 2:30 | 210 | 229 |
| Under 3:00 | 2,977 | 3,690 |
| Under 3:30 (Women) | 1795 | 2036 |
| Age Group | BQ | Finishers | BQ% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-39 | 1,369 | 15,104 | 9.1% |
| 40-44 | 603 | 4,707 | 12.8% |
| 45-49 | 688 | 4.084 | 16.8% |
| 50-54 | 474 | 3,532 | 13.4% |
| 55-59 | 288 | 2,145 | 13.4% |
| 60-64 | 303 | 1,321 | 22.9% |
| 65-69 | 123 | 491 | 25.1% |
| 70-74 | 37 | 219 | 16.9% |
| 75-79 | 9 | 66 | 13.6% |
| 80+ | 1 | 18 | 5.6% |
| Total | 3,895 | 31,687 | 12.3% |
| Age Group | BQ | Finishers | BQ% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-39 | 1,041 | 13,225 | 7.9% |
| 40-44 | 361 | 3,481 | 10.4% |
| 45-49 | 398 | 3,032 | 13.1% |
| 50-54 | 302 | 2,440 | 12.4% |
| 55-59 | 179 | 1,385 | 12.9% |
| 60-64 | 123 | 777 | 15.8% |
| 65-69 | 43 | 291 | 14.8% |
| 70-74 | 9 | 108 | 8.3% |
| 75-79 | 2 | 18 | 11.1% |
| 80+ | 0 | 10 | 0% |
| Total | 2,458 | 24,767 | 10.4% |
