Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan will headline the 2024 Tokyo Marathon on March 3, their administration company World Sports activities Communication introduced on Thursday. Kipchoge will return for his second Tokyo Marathon after setting the course file of two:02:40 in 2022 regardless of a incorrect flip at 10k. Hassan, who received marathons in London and Chicago final yr, will run Tokyo for the primary time.
4 fast ideas on at present’s announcement:
1) Kipchoge’s quest to win all six Abbott World Marathon Majors must wait
Kipchoge has mentioned that he would finally wish to win each World Marathon Main, and to this point he has received 4 of the six: Tokyo, London, Berlin, and Chicago. Lately, nevertheless, Kipchoge has handed up alternatives to win the ultimate two, Boston and New York — the one two with vital hills (and with out pacers). Final yr, Kipchoge ran Boston however completed sixth. He then bypassed New York within the fall to run Berlin, which he received for a file fifth time in 2:02:42. Kipchoge mentioned after Boston in April that he deliberate to return and win at some point. Nevertheless it won’t be in 2024 — with Tokyo simply six weeks earlier than Boston, there isn’t a approach Kipchoge runs each races.
Kipchoge has made it clear that his primary intention is to develop into the primary man to win three straight Olympic marathons in Paris subsequent yr. Each choice he has made within the final yr has been centered round that objective, starting along with his choice to run Berlin over New York final fall. Relatively than problem himself in New York after a humbling defeat in Boston, Kipchoge returned to the acquainted in Berlin and received again on monitor with a snug victory. Kipchoge’s agent Valentijn Trouw additionally famous to LetsRun that the timing was necessary: had Kipchoge carried out New York, that will have meant operating three marathons within the span of 40 weeks (New York, Tokyo, Olympics), one thing Kipchoge had by no means carried out earlier than. Working Berlin gave Kipchoge an additional six weeks.
These two components — familiarity and timing — are seemingly why Kipchoge selected Tokyo over Boston in 2024. Kipchoge has run and received Tokyo earlier than, and the course didn’t beat him up like Boston did this yr, when Kipchoge complained of a leg harm at 30k. By operating Tokyo, Kipchoge additionally provides himself an additional six weeks to arrange for the Olympics — Tokyo is 23 weeks earlier than the Video games whereas Boston (April 15) is just 17.
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The flip facet of that argument is that Kipchoge has not had any downside with that form of turnaround prior to now. In 2016, Kipchoge received Olympic gold in Rio 17 weeks after successful London that spring. In 2021, the turnaround was even tighter; he received the Olympics in Sapporo simply 16 weeks after his win on the NN Mission Marathon in Enschede.
It could be foolish to counsel the course profiles of Tokyo and Boston had nothing to do with Kipchoge’s choice, however the truth that Kipchoge selected Tokyo over London as nicely signifies the timing might have been necessary. Kipchoge likes operating in London, and London is ready to pay a a lot greater look payment than Tokyo — particularly with London’s defending champions Hassan and Kelvin Kiptum choosing different races this spring.
But Kipchoge nonetheless selected Tokyo (23 weeks earlier than Paris) over London (16 weeks earlier than). At 39, he might need to maximize his restoration time to make sure he’s at his finest in Paris.
Kipchoge has by no means run three marathon in the identical calendar yr, however mentioned he would possibly contemplate it sooner or later. Would he contemplate operating New York subsequent fall? If not, he’ll have to attend till 2025 for the prospect to win Boston or New York.
It’s fascinating to think about which accomplishment would improve Kipchoge’s legacy extra: a 3rd straight Olympic gold or wins in Boston and New York to finish his set of WMM victories. Usain Bolt is the one runner to win three Olympic golds in the identical occasion, so for Kipchoge to triple up in Paris would put him in actually elite firm. However wins in Boston and New York would clear up the one holes on his towering résumé.
For marathon purists, wins in Boston and New York would go farther to cement Kipchoge’s legacy because the all-around marathon GOAT — and never simply the GOAT of flat marathons. However contemplating how hilly the Paris course is, a win there might find yourself killing two birds with one stone.
2) Kipchoge vs. Kiptum must wait till Paris (at the very least)
Eliud Kipchoge vs. Kelvin Kiptum was the race the marathon world wished to see final fall, and that was earlier than Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago to interrupt Kipchoge’s world file. However with Kipchoge operating Tokyo on March 3 and Kiptum operating Rotterdam on April 14, we’re going to have to attend till the Olympics (at the very least) to see the 2 quickest marathoners of all time sq. off.
That mentioned, it will likely be fairly epic if their first matchup comes on the Olympics with Kiptum as world file holder and Kipchoge because the two-time defending champion. And contemplating each received their fall marathons in 2023, the chances are excellent that each will probably be on the beginning line in Paris in the event that they’re wholesome.
3) Tokyo is smart for Hassan, who will get a brand new problem and loads of time to get better earlier than the Olympics…might she problem the world file?
Sifan Hassan confirmed in 2023 that she doesn’t want a lot time to get better between main occasions, successful the London Marathon in April, claiming two medals on the World Championships on the monitor in August, and successful the Chicago Marathon within the #2 time ever in October. She most likely might have gone again to London in 2024 and nonetheless be aggressive in whichever occasions she chooses to run in Paris.
However ladies’s operating has by no means been extra aggressive. Hassan didn’t win a single gold in Budapest — as a substitute, the golds went to Religion Kipyegon and Gudaf Tsegay, two all-time greats on the peak of their powers. If Hassan is to defeat them in Paris, she wants to present herself each potential benefit — which makes Tokyo a extra logical choice because it provides her an additional seven weeks of monitor coaching forward of the Olympics in comparison with London (six weeks in comparison with Boston).
We nonetheless don’t know which occasions Hassan will run on the Olympics, and if she follows her latest sample, she received’t announce her plans to the world till the final minute. However contemplating Hassan has already tried the 1500-5k-10k triple twice (2021 Olympics and 2023 Worlds), the guess right here is that she runs at the very least one monitor occasion plus the marathon in Paris. Hassan likes to problem herself and making an attempt to develop into the primary girl to medal on the monitor and within the marathon on the identical Olympics would qualify as an enormous problem.
It’s additionally going to be fascinating to see how Hassan approaches Tokyo. When Hassan received London final spring, she nonetheless had one eye on the monitor and her buildup mirrored that. Final fall, she ran 2:13:44 in Chicago simply six weeks after tripling at Worlds. We’ve by no means had the prospect to see what she does with the marathon as her sole focus.
The world file of two:11:53 is sort of two minutes quicker than what Hassan ran in Chicago. But when Hassan does a full, marathon-focused buildup for Tokyo, it will not be a shock to see her problem the WR.
4) London misses out on Kipchoge, Hassan, and Kiptum
London has the most important finances of any World Marathon Main, and consequently typically attracts the most important stars and finest fields. Thus, at present’s information got here as a little bit of a blow to the 2024 London Marathon — it received’t have both of its defending champions (except Hassan does one thing loopy and tries to run London seven weeks after Tokyo) and it received’t have Kipchoge both.
However there’s not a lot London might have carried out. London supplied Kiptum an infinite look payment however misplaced out as a result of Kiptum is racing in Rotterdam as a substitute, the place Kiptum’s agent Marc Corstjens is in control of the elite discipline. And for Kipchoge and Hassan, the timing of Tokyo makes much more sense in an Olympic yr than London (plus Hassan likes to attempt new issues and she or he has already received London).
