Abraham Kiptum to run London Marathon in 2019

Kenyan runner Abraham Kiptum, who set a new world half-marathon record in Valencia, Spain in October with a time of 58:18, has said he will toe the line at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday, April 28, along with marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and British and European record-holder Sir Mo Farah. 

RELATED: Kipchoge going for fourth London Marathon win in 2019

Got time for one more?⌛️

Having broken the half-marathon world record in October, Abraham Kiptum will run the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon! ?#LondonMarathon #EliteWeek pic.twitter.com/pcA7QDd4sf

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) January 16, 2019

Little was known about Kiptum before his record-breaking run in Spain, but it came out afterwards that his 2:05 marathon personal best wasn’t deemed fast enough to be allowed into the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (which took place November 4, a few days after Kiptum’s victory in Valencia).

Instead, Kiptum ran the inaugural Abu Dhabi marathon on December 7, finishing second and bringing down his PB to 2:04:16. (However, there was speculation the course was short, since some of the splits in the latter half of the race seemed impossibly fast.)

RELATED: Kipchoge calls Mo Farah’s 2:05 marathon “not really fast”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpo_A-3h44t/

It’s conceivable Kiptum could challenge Britain’s Sir Mo Farah, who last year finished third in London behind Eliud Kipchoge and Shura Kitata, and who then went on to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2:05:11. But few believe at this point that either Farah or anybody is likely to challenge Kipchoge’s invincibility in the marathon.