It is just over a week out from the 2026 TCS London Marathon when I speak to Kilkenny A.C.’s Peter Lynch. He has only recently come down from altitude in Albuquerque, where he has been based since producing one of the standout performances ever by an Irish distance runner, clocking 59:52 at the New York City Half Marathon on 15 March. In doing so, Lynch became the first Irishman to break the hour for the half marathon. The point-to-point nature of the course means the time will not stand for record purposes, but it is the clearest sign yet that the Kilkenny man, coached by former Irish athlete Alistair Cragg, will arrive on the London start line this Sunday in the form of his life. “I think I’m in about as good a position as I could be going into it,” he says. “I feel like I’m in a territory I didn’t think I’d be in until fairly recently.”
Record in sight
It is almost a year to the day since Lynch ran a marathon personal best of 2:09:36 in Dusseldorf, a breakthrough performance that at the time secured the Irish national marathon record. Earlier in 2025, he had already etched his name into the record books by breaking the national 10-mile record, while also setting personal bests for the half marathon, 10k and 15k on the road. That marathon mark has since been lowered by Cork man Fearghal Curtin, who ran 2:07:54 in Gyeongju last October, but with the form Lynch is bringing to London, it would be of little surprise were the record to be back in his hands by lunchtime on Sunday. Even so, he remains measured when the subject is put to him. “Obviously I’m not going to say I’m not trying to get the record. It would be great to have. But I don’t think I’m too fixated on running a certain time. I think it’s more about having a good race, trying to beat the lads around me and, hopefully, all going well, being in and around there.”
A world-class test in London
In what is arguably one of the strongest elite men’s fields ever assembled for the London Marathon, Lynch toes the line with the 14th fastest personal best on the start list, fully aware that he is not there to make up numbers. Instead, he is relishing the opportunity to test himself against some of the top distance runners in the world, including reigning London marathon champion Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, current world half marathon record holder Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, as well as current Olympic 10,000m gold medallist Joshua Cheptegei. “It’ll definitely be cool to be in a race like that,” he says. “That’s why I’m excited to do London – to get more experience in big world majors and try to be competitive in that kind of field.”
Training partners in the mix
Joining Lynch on the London start line will be two of his training partners from the Puma Elite Running Team, Britain’s Paddy Dever and Jack Rowe, both of whom will be hoping to feature prominently in the battle for British honours. Lynch believes their presence could prove significant in the race. “I think it’s going to hopefully work out well with my Puma teammates, Paddy and Jack,” he says. “The plan will probably be that we’ll work off each other in the race because we haven’t really been separated at all in training, and in New York we were all super close to each other.”
Calm before the storm
Asked about nerves and race week, Lynch comes across as notably calm in the final days before London. There is little sense of panic or overthinking from the Kilkenny man, who instead speaks like an athlete confident in the form he is bringing to London. He acknowledges that, with the marathon, much of it is out of your hands by race week beyond arriving fit, healthy and with a clear plan. “I’m just going to enjoy it and try to take it all in,” he says. “It’s exciting to do a really big marathon. I’ve been watching race videos from the last couple of years, and it seems like there’s not really a single point on the course where you don’t have loads of people cheering.”
London will no doubt ask serious questions of Lynch on Sunday, but, in the best form of his career, the Kilkenny man looks ready to answer them.
Elsewhere Patrick Monahan provides the Irish interest in the men’s wheelchair race, lining up in an elite field headed by Switzerland’s Marcel Hug. The Kildare man, a two-time Paralympian, has a marathon best of 1:22:23 and has solid London experience in recent years, finishing 12th in 2022 and 14th in 2024.
Athletes to watch
Men: Sawe, Kiplimo head stacked elite field
Defending champion Sabastian Sawe returns to London looking to retain the title he won in 2:02:27 last year, the second-fastest winning time in race history. The Kenyan is again set to face Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the world half marathon record holder, who finished runner-up on his marathon debut in London in 2025. Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta is another major contender with a personal best of 2:02:38, while Olympic marathon champion Tamirat Tola and former London winner Amos Kipruto add further depth to a loaded field. Ethiopian star Yomif Kejelcha is another major point of interest on his marathon debut, while Joshua Cheptegei, the reigning Olympic 10,000m champion, is also one to watch. With Emile Cairess out, Mahamed Mahamed leads the British challenge, though Phil Sesemann will also hope to feature strongly on home roads.
Women: Assefa leads women’s field after Hassan pulls out
Tigst Assefa returns to London looking to defend the title she won last year in a women-only world record of 2:15:50. The Ethiopian athlete now emerges as the headline name in the women’s race following the withdrawal of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, though the field still carries plenty of strength. Joyciline Jepkosgei, winner here in 2021 and runner-up in 2025, remains one of the biggest threats, while Hellen Obiri adds further quality to the line-up. On the British side, Rose Harvey is the fastest home athlete in the field on personal best, with Eilish McColgan also among the notable domestic entries.