London Marathon: Why Eliud Kipchoge Could Earn More Than Winner Sebastian Sawe Despite Sixth Place Finish

where he finished sixth with Kenya’s emerging victorious.

who was making his debut, as Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso, the defending champion, beat Dutchman Abdi Negeye in a photo finish to claim third place in 2:04:20.

However, the focus was on, a four-time winner in London, who was running in the English capital for the sixth time.

Having endured a tough 2024 campaign, when he finished 10th in Tokyo and dropped out of his Olympics marathon race in Paris, 40-year-old Kipchoge had an impressive sixth-place finish, crossing the line in 2:05:25.

Eliud Kipchoge finished sixth at the 2025 London Marathon, a race that was his first since the Paris 2024 Olympics when an injury forced him to withdraw at the 31-kilometer mark.

Following the race, focus turned to how much the athletes would take home from their hard work in with the prize money structure being looked at.

Sawe and Ethiopia’s , who won the women’s race, pocketed $55,000 (Ksh7.1 million) each, the Ethiopian earning an extra $25,000 for breaking Peres Jepchirchir’s women’s-only world record, while second place and third attracted $30,000 (Ksh3.9 million) and $22,500 (Ksh2.9 million) respectively.

Why will Eliud Kipchoge pocket more than his rivals?

The prizes go up to 12th place with Kipchoge’s sixth place earning him $7,500 (Ksh970,417).

However, that is not where Kipchoge will make the bulk of his money in London as he was already assured a hefty appearance fee even before he stepped on the road for the race.

Sebastian Sawe won the 2025 London Marathon in style, beating a star-studded field that included Eliud Kipchoge. But how much will he take home?

According to , star names at the can pocket up to a maximum of $150,000 (Ksh19.4 million) in appearance fees and they do not come bigger than Kipchoge.

Even though his powers have waned, Kipchoge’s standing as the greatest marathoner of all time still makes him a major attraction at major marathons and organisers do everything in their powers to have him in their races as he is also a huge draw to fans and sponsors.

It means Kipchoge pocketed a big chunk of the maximum appearance fees in London and there is also more from his sponsors such as , which will likely take his total pay cheque beyond what the likes of Sawe received for winning the race.

Kipchoge’s next race is the Sydney Marathon in Australia, which is now one of the Marathon Majors, on August 31, where he will command another hefty appearance fee regardless of how he performs.

The London Marathon witnessed a thrilling battle as Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa outpaced Joyciline Jepkosgei and Dutch Sifan Hassan to claim victory.