Eliud Kipchoge, widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, has hinted that he may soon retire from elite competitions.
In a recent interview with Olympics.com, the 40-year-old athlete suggested that 2025 could be his final year competing at the highest level.
After a professional career spanning over two decades, Kipchoge said he plans to dedicate his time to causes he cares about. “I think I’ll be going around the world to run in big city marathons for a cause: for education and for conservation,” he said. “But above all, I’m still having one more year.”
His remarks come shortly after his sixth-place finish at the London Marathon on April 27, 2025. Kipchoge also confirmed that this was his last time competing in London. He has won the London Marathon four times during his career.
In addition to his London victories, Kipchoge has claimed five wins at the Berlin Marathon. He famously set a world record time of 2:01:09 in Berlin, which remains the second-fastest official marathon time in history.
In 2019, Kipchoge made history in Vienna by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40 in a special event.
Kipchoge has also enjoyed Olympic success, winning gold medals in the marathon at both the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
Reflecting on his career, Kipchoge said he is now motivated by personal values rather than competition. “I am not competing with anybody at all. I’m competing with myself, my message, my values… I’m running with the values of sport. I’m running with the values of humanity,” he said.
Looking ahead, Kipchoge revealed that his next marathon will be in Sydney in August 2025. When asked if he would consider competing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he said, “Not really. I think I’d have a lot of work to do.”
