The final chapter in the book of the greatest career in distance running likely closed last week as Eliud Kipchoge made his New York City Marathon debut, crossed the finish line to cheers and tearfully walked off into a whirlwind of cameras and was presented with a custom Abbott finisher medal.
The moment felt more like a homecoming than an end even as Kipchoge waited deep into his racing tenure to make his New York debut.
But after 18 majors — and 11 wins — his victory lap through the five brought was met with a roar as well over 2 million spectators lined the course.
Kipchoge finished in 17th place in 2:14:36, later announced plans to run marathons on all seven continents and the tally began on a career that pushed the sport to a cross section of stardom, world records, advancements in shoe technology and a consumer demand for distance running that routinely exceeds capacity.
At least some of the recruitment through achievement — and maintaining it — in the marathon landscape can directly be attributed to Kipchoge. And showing up at the biggest races on the planet has paid dividends since his debut at the 2013 Hamburg Marathon, a 2:05:30 course record.
With five wins in Berlin, four in London and one each in Tokyo and Chicago, a breakdown of how he fared in each major marathon city is a tale of longevity and glimpse of how one day winning all seven races could be achieved in the next generation of distance talents.
2013 Hamburg Marathon
While Hamburg is not an Abbott World Marathon major, the race was the setting that launched Kipchoge after he stepped up from the track in 2011 and mixed results at half marathon distance in 2022.
But Hamburg proved different, with a then-lesser know Kipchoge pulling away just after the halfway mark to seal the 2:05:30 course record wins in a dominant effort that was just over two minute ahead of Limenih Getachew, who took second.
Berlin
The legend grew and exploded in Berlin for Kipchoge, where he made six appearances (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023) and won five times.
In 2013, Kipchoge took second place (2:04:05) to Wilson Kipsang’s 2:03:23 world record at the time as it served as a prelude to his own success on the course. By 2015 the formula to dominate was in place and Kipchoge won in a commanding 2:04:00 with 2014 winner Dennis Kimetto not there to defend his title.
The race in 2017 added a dose of drama in the later stages as Guye Adola, in his debut, stuck with Kipchoge in a day blanketed with rain in what turned into a two-man battle for the podium. Kipchoge, who was in second, surged at the 40km mark and opened a gap the following kilometer that gave him the win in 2:03:32 over Adola.
And the times continued to get lower by 2018. Kipchoge stunned the sport with a 2:01:39 world record in Berlin. Flanked by three pacers, the group set out aggressively and was already nine seconds ahead of the chase group that included Amos Kipruto and Wilson Kipsang by the 5km point. Kipchoge planned for at least one pacer to stick with him until at least 30km, but two dropped off at 15km with the final pacer slowing at 25km. He kept pursuing and finished the race with the new record and was nearly five minutes faster than Kipruto, who took second.
The eyes of the running world would pivot again in 2022 when Kipchoge shattered the record in a daring 2:01:09 finish after shifting gears and pulling from Andamlak Belihu at the 25km point.
In his final Berlin Marathon in 2023, Kipchoge again showed why the course and city held a special place in his meteoric rise, clocking a 2:02:42 win and becoming the first person to win there five times.
Chicago
In his lone appearance at the Chicago Marathon in 2014, Kipchoge broke from Sammy Kitwara and Dickson Chumba at 40km to shake himself loose from a tight group that appeared to be in position for a final sprint with the finish line in sight. But Kipchoge took matters into his own hands and used the space to push to a 2:04:11 win.
London
Like Berlin, the London Marathon is also where Kipchoge shined, with four wins in six appearances (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 2020, 2025).
In his 2015 London debut, Kipchoge battled defending champion Wilson Kipsang with Stanley Biwott and Dennis Kimetto forming a lead pack that held until mile 19. Kipchoge broke away with Kipsang and ultimately used the final 800 meters to take the win in 2:04:42. The following year he defended his title, setting a course record in 2:03:05 after running the bulk of the race alongside Biwott and eventually used a late kick to take the win.
For 2018, Kipchoge battled warm temperatures on the course and flirted with world record paces. He eventually faded as the race winded past the 35km mark but took the win in 2:04:17. The following year Kipchoge was back to defend his crown in a deep field that included Mo Farah, Tamirat Tola, Mule Wasihun, Mosinet Geremew and Shura Kitata. Closing in on the 40km mark only Geremew remained in striking distance of Kipchoge, who pressed forward and won the 2019 race in 2:02:37.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and safety precautions in place, the 2020 race was staged with only elite athletes and Kipchoge was poised to again defend his title. But he would ultimately finish in eighth place in 2:06:49 and later said he ran nearly 10 miles of the remainder of the race with a blocked ear, marking his slowing marathon at the time.
His final London tour came in April as he faded from the lead pack around the halfway point and finished sixth in 2:05:25.
Tokyo
The 2021 Tokyo Marathon was held in March 2022 after being postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the general public was not permitted to participate due to safety concerns and travel restrictions. Kipchoge returned to the city months after winning marathon gold at the 2020 Olympics, which were pushed to 2021 because of the pandemic. Despite not racing since the Tokyo Games, he rode his Olympic momentum to pull away at the 35km point to win the Tokyo Marathon in 2:02:40 — the fourth fastest time ever at the time and a then course record.
He returned to race Tokyo in 2024 and by the 20km point drifted off pace and finished in tenth place in 2:06:50 as he would later say that “something happened in the middle of the race,” but never clarified what went wrong so early in his campaign.
Boston
Kipchoge made a long-awaited debut at the Boston Marathon in 2023 in rainy conditions and stayed with the lead group through 30km before easing back and eventually falling from striking distance of Evans Chebet, who would take the win. Kipchoge finished sixth in 2:09:23.
Sydney
With Sydney upgraded to major status in late 2024 for the 2025 race, Kipchoge was added to the men’s professional field in an announcement that also saw Sifan Hassan added to the women’s race, which she won in course record time (2:18:22). Kipchoge finished in ninth in 2:08:31 after fading off of the lead group at the 31km mark.
New York
Just over a week after Sydney, Kipchoge and Hassan were announced as late additions to the 2025 New York City Marathon in a move that was not only unexpected but added an extra layer of hype to a stacked men’s and women’s race. It would be Kipchoge’s debut in the race after years of questions of whether he would race in the United States again after struggling in Boston.
