| 42nd London Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Venue | London, England |
| Date | 2 October 2022 |
| Competitors | 40,000+ |
| Champions | |
| Men | Amos Kipruto (2:04:39) |
| Women | Yalemzerf Yehualaw (2:17.26) |
| Wheelchair men | Marcel Hug (1:24.38) |
| Wheelchair women | Catherine Debrunner (1:38.24) |
← 2021 2023 → | |
The2022 London Marathon was the 42nd running of the annualLondon Marathon on 2 October 2022. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic the race was postponed from April until October to maximise the chances of a mass participation event. The elite men's and women's event were won by KenyanAmos Kipruto and EthiopianYalemzerf Yehualaw respectively. The wheelchair races were won by Swiss athletesMarcel Hug andCatherine Debrunner respectively, both in course record times. Over 40,000 people finished the mass participation event.
In August 2021, the 2022 London Marathon was postponed from April until October, to increase the chances that such a large event could be held safely during theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was the third successive year that the race has been held in autumn. The 2023 event was held in April 2023.[1] In the United Kingdom, the event was broadcast on theBBC. Every race since1981 has been televised on the BBC, and in June 2022, it won the rights to broadcast the race until 2026.[2]
The winner of the men's and women's elite races each received $55,000. Prize money was also on offer for breaking a course record or beating a pre-specified time, and the total prize fund for each race was $313,000.[3] The prize money for the wheelchair races was increased for 2022, with the winners receiving $35,000, an increase of $10,000 from the previous year. $20,000 and $15,000 was awarded to the competitors who finish second and third respectively, and for the first time the top 10 finishers all received prize money. The total prize fund for each of the wheelchair races was $199,500.[4]
The marathon distance is officially 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi) long as sanctioned byWorld Athletics (IAAF).[5] The London Marathon is run over a mainly flat course, starting inBlackheath.[6] The course begins at three separate points and they converge just before 3 miles (4.8 km) into the race.[7] At just after 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) into the race, the runners reach the 19th-centuryclipperCutty Sark docked inGreenwich[8] and at about halfway into the race, the runners crossTower Bridge[9] before heading east intoShadwell andCanary Wharf.[6] After winding through Canary Wharf, the route returns through Shadwell on the other side of the road to which it entered before passing throughTower Hill.[9] The runners enter the underpass inBlackfriars before running along theThames Embankment, pastWestminster and ontoBirdcage Walk.[9][6] The course then runs parallel to St James's Park before turning ontoThe Mall and finishing in front ofBuckingham Palace.[9][6]
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The top three finishers in the2021 elite women's race – winnerJoyciline Jepkosgei and runners-upDegitu Azimeraw andAshete Bekere – all competed in 2022.[10]Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the world record holder in the10 kilometres event, competed in her first London Marathon – her time of 2:17:23 at the 2022Hamburg Marathon was the fastest by a marathon debutant ever.[10] Other competitors with apersonal best of under 2:20:00 includedJoan Chelimo Melly,Sutume Asefa Kebede,Alemu Megertu andHiwot Gebrekidan.[10]Judith Korir was a late addition to the field; she had originally intended to be apacemaker at the event.[11]
2019 and2020 winnerBrigid Kosgei, who finished fourth in 2021, was scheduled to race,[10][12] but withdrew due to an injury.[13] BritonEilish McColgan, whose motherLiz won the1996 London Marathon,[10][14] withdrew for medical reasons in September 2022.[15] It would have been her first marathon competition.[10][14] British runnerCharlotte Purdue, who finished tenth in the 2021 race,[10] withdrew on the day due to illness.[16]
The elite men's race featured 2021 winnerSisay Lemma, as well asKenenisa Bekele,Birhanu Legese andMosinet Geremew, the second, third and fifth-fastest marathon runners in history respectively.[17][18] Legese had won theTokyo Marathon twice.[3]Bashir Abdi, who came third in themarathon event at the2020 Summer Olympics raced in his first London Marathon,[19] andPhil Sesemann, the best British finisher at the 2021 race, also competed in 2022.[13]Vincent Kipchumba, who finished second in 2020 and 2021 was scheduled to compete, but later withdrew.[11] BritonMo Farah, who came third at the2018 London Marathon and who was a pacemaker for the 2020 race,[20] withdrew prior to the race due to a hip injury.[21]
The women's wheelchair race included 2020 winnerNikita den Boer,Merle Menje, who finished second in the 2021 event at the age of 17, four-time London Marathon winnerTatyana McFadden, andSusannah Scaroni, the record holder in the5,000 metres event.[4]Catherine Debrunner, who won the2022 Berlin Marathon on her marathon debut also competed.[22] 2021 winnerManuela Schär, as well asMadison de Rozario, who won themarathon event at the delayed2020 Summer Paralympics and the 2018 London Marathon, both planned to compete but withdrew due to illness.[23]
The men's wheelchair competition featured 2021 winnerMarcel Hug, as well as 2019 winnerDaniel Romanchuk, who also won the2022 Boston Marathon. Eight-time winnerDavid Weir also competed.[4][24]
The wheelchair races commenced at 08:50BST (UTC+1), the elite women's competition began at 09:00 BST and the elite men's event started at 09:40 BST alongside the mass participation event. The races were started byEngland women's footballersLeah Williamson,Ellen White andJill Scott,[19] and were run in dry conditions.[25]
The elite women's race was won by EthiopianYalemzerf Yehualaw, in a time of 2:17:26,[25][26] the third fastest time in London Marathon history.[25][27] At the age of 23, she was the youngest ever winner of the race.[25] At the halfway point of the race, the leading pack contained Joyciline Jepkosgei, Yalemzerf Yehualaw, Alemu Megertu, Ashete Bekere, Judith Korir, Joan Melly, Asefa Kebede, and Hiwot Gebrekidan.[26] At around 20 miles (32 km), Yehualaw tripped over on aspeed bump,[27] but later returned to the leading group.[26] Around 35 kilometres (22 mi) into the race, Kebede, Melly, and Beker were distanced from the leading pack.[26] Yehualaw broke away from the pack with around 4 miles (6.4 km) to go in the race.[25] Jepkosgei finished second, and Megertu was third. Korir, Melly and Bekere also all finished the race in under 2:20:00.[26]Rose Harvey was the fastest finishing Briton; she was tenth overall.[25][27] Harvey had been assisted by pacemakerCalli Thackery until 32 kilometres (20 mi) into the race.[28]
The elite men's competition was won by KenyanAmos Kipruto, in a time of 2:04:39.[25][26] The race featured British pacemakersAndrew Butchart andEmile Cairess.[28] The leading pack stayed together until 35 kilometres (22 mi), and consisted of Kipruto, Kenenisa Bekele, Sisay Lemma,Leul Gebresilase, Bashir Abdi, Birhanu Legese and Kinde Atanaw.[26] Kipruto took the lead whilst completing the 24th mile in a time of 4:36.[26] Gebresilase finished second, with Abdi third. Bekele finished fifth after gaining two places in the final miles of the event. His time of 2:05:53 was a record for an over-40-year-old at the London Marathon.[26]Weynay Ghebresilasie was the highest finishing Briton. He was ninth, and fellow countryman Phil Sesemann was 10th.[25]
The women's wheelchair race was won by Swiss athlete Catherine Debrunner in a course record time of 1:38:24.[25][26] Debrunner recovered from a crash during the race, and won the event by almost four minutes.[26] Susannah Scaroni finished second andEden Rainbow-Cooper was third.[25][26]
The men's wheelchair competition was won by Swiss athlete Marcel Hug in a course record time of 1:24:38.[25][26] Hug and Daniel Romanchuk took the lead early on, and after 25 kilometres (16 mi) of the event, they had a lead of around three minutes.[26] Romanchuk finished two seconds behind Hug in second, and David Weir was third,[25][26] after beatingTomoki Suzuki in a sprint finish.[29]
A mini-marathon for under-17s was held on 1 October.[13] Over 40,000 people took part in the adult mass-participation event.[30] The oldest runner was an 89-year-old Japanese man, and the youngest runner was 18 years old on the day of the event.[31] During the race, one person collapsed and later died in hospital.[32]
The mass-start race included former OlympiansJames Cracknell,Steve Batchelor,Tom McEwen,Iwan Thomas andJoan Benoit, who won themarathon event at the1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.[19] Other sportspeople who competed includedFormula E driverSam Bird, former footballerDanny Mills and former rugby playerGreg O'Shea, who also won the 2019 series ofLove Island.[33] Non-sporting celebrities that competed included television personalityMark Wright,Harry Judd from the bandMcFly, actorGeorge Rainsford,BBC newsreaderSophie Raworth, and Jeremy Joseph, the owner ofG-A-Y andHeaven nightclubs.[33] Also competing wasAnoosheh Ashoori, who had been freed from an Iranian prison earlier in the year.[25]
Only the top 10 finishers in each race are listed.
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Amos Kipruto |  Kenya | 02:04:39 |
 | Leul Gebresilase |  Ethiopia | 02:05:12 |
 | Bashir Abdi |  Belgium | 02:05:19 |
| 4 | Kinde Atanaw | Ethiopia | 02:05:27 |
| 5 | Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 02:05:53 |
| 6 | Birhanu Legese | Ethiopia | 02:06:11 |
| 7 | Sisay Lemma | Ethiopia | 02:07:26 |
| 8 | Brett Robinson |  Australia | 02:09:52 |
| 9 | Weynay Ghebresilasie |  United Kingdom | 02:11:57 |
| 10 | Philip Sesemann | United Kingdom | 02:12:10 |
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yalemzerf Yehualaw | Ethiopia | 02:17:26 |
| Joyciline Jepkosgei | Kenya | 02:18:07 |
| Alemu Megertu | Ethiopia | 02:18:32 |
| 4 | Judith Jeptum Korir | Kenya | 02:18:43 |
| 5 | Joan Chelimo Melly |  Romania | 02:19:27 |
| 6 | Ashete Bekere | Ethiopia | 02:19:30 |
| 7 | Mary Ngugi | Kenya | 02:20:22 |
| 8 | Sutume Asefa Kebede | Ethiopia | 02:20:44 |
| 9 | Ai Hosoda |  Japan | 02:21:42 |
| 10 | Rose Harvey | United Kingdom | 02:27:59 |
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcel Hug |  Switzerland | 01:24:38 |
| Daniel Romanchuk |  United States | 01:24:40 |
| David Weir | United Kingdom | 01:30:41 |
| 4 | Tomoki Suzuki | Japan | 01:30:41 |
| 5 | Jetze Plat |  Netherlands | 01:30:44 |
| 6 | Aaron Pike | United States | 01:33:05 |
| 7 | Sho Watanabe | Japan | 01:34:16 |
| 8 | Jake Lappin | Australia | 01:34:16 |
| 9 | Patrick Monahan |  Ireland | 01:34:16 |
| 10 | Johnboy Smith | United Kingdom | 01:34:17 |
| Position | Athlete | Nationality | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine Debrunner | Switzerland | 01:38:24 |
| Susannah Scaroni | United States | 01:42:21 |
| Eden Rainbow-Cooper | United Kingdom | 01:47:27 |
| 4 | Merle Menje |  Germany | 01:47:28 |
| 5 | Jenna Fesemyer | United States | 01:47:28 |
| 6 | Wakako Tsuchida | Japan | 01:47:28 |
| 7 | Vanessa De Souza |  Brazil | 01:47:29 |
| 8 | Yen Hoang | United States | 01:47:29 |
| 9 | Aline Rocha | Brazil | 01:47:32 |
| 10 | Christie Dawes | Australia | 01:47:33 |
