Eliud Kipchoge ran the second fastest marathon time in history as he retained his London title in the most brilliant and emphatic style.

The 31-year-old Kenyan powered away from his compatriot Stanley Biwott after 24 miles before finishing in 2:03:05 - just eight seconds outside the world record.

Kipchoge did not appear to realise he was so close to the world record: certainly the way he powered down The Mall suggested he had plenty left in the tank, even after 26.2 miles.

Biwott also ran a personal best in finishing second in 2:03.51. The rest of the highly vaunted field had been blown away. Kenenisa Bekele, the world 5,000 and 10,000m record holder, was a long way back in third in 2:06:36.

But the race was all about Kipchoge, an athlete talented enough to win 2003 world championship gold over 5,000m as an 18-year-old, and to take Olympic bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008. In the past he has been quick enough to run 3min 33sec over 1500m. But he is even better over 26.2 miles.

“It was a good course. The support was perfect – the crowd was fantastic and it was good to get a PB,” he said.

The Scottish athlete Callum Hawkins outlined his enormous talent by being the first Brit home in 2:10.52, a personal best by nearly two minutes. Hawkins will be joined by Tsegai Tewelde, an Eritrean-born athlete who was granted asylum in Scotland in 2008, who ran 2:12:28, to finish just ahead of Hawkins’ brother Derek.

In the women’s race, the Kenyan Jemima Sumgong sprung a surprise as she recovered from a dramatic fall just five miles from the finish to win her first major city marathon.

The 31-year-old Kenyan has been runner-up in Boston, Chicago and New York and was fourth in the world championships last year but she this time she proved too strong to win in 2:22:58, with last year’s winner, Tigist Tufa, second five seconds back.

 

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