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Reigning London Marathon champion Alexander Munyao has set his sights on clinching another Abbott World Marathon Majors title before the end of the 2025 season, with Berlin, Chicago, and New York firmly on his radar.
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The Berlin Marathon is scheduled for September 21, followed by Chicago on October 12, and the New York City Marathon wrapping up the series on November 2.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, Munyao expressed his desire to add another major victory to his résumé and reinforce his standing among the world’s top marathoners.
“My goal is to win one more Major Marathon before the year ends. My team and I will evaluate and decide which race suits me best,” he said.
Munyao’s strategy to focus on end-of-year races allows him ample time to recover after his demanding performance at the London Marathon. He emphasized the importance of rest, reflecting on how rushing into the Paris Olympics after London last year hampered his performance. In Paris, he finished 21st with a time of 2:10:31.
To prioritize recovery, Munyao turned down an invitation to represent Kenya at the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
“I was asked to join the team for Worlds, but I declined. I don’t want to push my body too hard,” he explained.
At the 2025 London Marathon held on April 27, Munyao returned to defend his title and clocked 2:04:20, finishing third in a dramatic sprint finish with Dutch athlete Abdi Nageeye, who placed fourth after a photo finish. Sebastian Sawe, the 2023 World Half Marathon champion, claimed the title in 2:02:27, while Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo made an impressive debut, finishing second in 2:03:37.
Munyao acknowledged the fierce competition, which included nearly a dozen elite athletes with major marathon titles. Despite the high-caliber field, his aim remained to finish on the podium.
“The competition was intense this year. When Sawe surged at 30km, he really shook up the race. He even skipped some water stations to maintain his lead,” Munyao recalled.
He also described his tactical duel with Nageeye in the closing kilometres, where both fought hard for third place. “He was using me as a pacer and planned to sprint past me at the finish, but I gave it everything to hold him off,” Munyao said.
Looking ahead, Munyao plans to address a recurring issue—his tendency to lose pace between the 30km and 35km mark before recovering in the final stages. He aims to work with his coach to improve endurance in this crucial part of the race.
“Fixing that stretch will be key. I often lose ground there, and by the time I regain momentum, the front-runners are already gone. That’s something we need to solve,” he concluded.
