Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest distance runners. At 28, he already holds world records in the 5,000m and 10,000m on the track. However, his impressive track times did not translate to the roads in his marathon debut in December 2023, where he finished with a time of 2:08:59. Determined to give the distance another shot, Cheptegei will headline the 2025 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 2.
Cheptegei announced his return to the marathon on Instagram, writing, “I’ve stood on podiums and set world records, but true greatness is about how you rise after you fall. Tokyo, I am ready to rise again.”
Many believe Cheptegei has the potential to join the ranks of the marathon greats. In an interview, Eliud Kipchoge said, “If there’s one runner who can shatter the men’s marathon world record, it’s Joshua. He is already a record holder in other fields and has a huge chance to break a world record in the marathon.”
Cheptegei’s marathon debut at the 2023 Valencia Marathon did not go as planned. He aimed to run around 2:04, but faltered in the final 10 kilometres, finishing in 2:08:59, for 37th place. While sub-2:10 is still excellent for a debut, there were high expectations for the three-time Olympic medallist and world record holder.
Cheptegei enters Tokyo after two strong performances: winning Olympic gold in the men’s 10,000m with a Games record of 26:43.14 and setting a half-marathon personal best of 59:46 at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon in India, which he won. His marathon potential remains a topic of interest for many fans of distance running, but given his inexperience over the distance, he is likely to pursue a similar time goal as in Valencia.
The Tokyo Marathon course isn’t known to be as fast as Valencia’s, but three of the last four men’s winning times have been under two hours and five minutes. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto won the 2024 race in a course record 2:02:16.
Kipruto will also return for this year’s Tokyo Marathon, looking to defend his title against the three-time Olympic medallist from Uganda. Like Cheptegei, Kipruto also enjoyed success at the Paris Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal for Kenya in the men’s marathon behind Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola and Belgium’s Bashir Abdi.
There are no Canadian elites in the men’s or women’s professional fields for the 2025 Tokyo Marathon on Sunday, March 2. The race will serve as a preview for many elites hoping to qualify and compete for their country in the marathon event at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.
