The 2024 London Marathon champion, Alexander Munyao, has set his sights on another Abbott World Marathon Majors title before the 2025 season wraps up, with Berlin, Chicago and New York firmly in his crosshairs.
Berlin is slated for September 21, followed by Chicago on October 12, with New York rounding off the Majors calendar on November 2.
In an exclusive interview, Munyao revealed his ambition to bag another major title and further cement his status among the world’s marathon elite.
"My target is to win another Major Marathon before the year ends. We will sit down with my management and coach and figure out my next race," Munyao said.
His preference for the end-of-year races is a calculated move, giving his body enough time to recover after a gruelling outing at this year’s London Marathon.
“I am just coming off London and I need at least three months to fully recover before I can think about racing again,” he added.
“Last year, after winning London, I rushed into the Olympic Games in Paris without adequate rest, and it impacted my performance.”
At the Paris Olympics, Munyao finished in a distant 21st place, clocking 2:10:31.
He further disclosed that he had turned down a potential slot on Kenya’s team for the Tokyo World Championships in September to prioritise recovery.
"I had been asked if I could run at the World Championships, but I declined because I don't want to rush my body," he said.
Munyao lined up for the 45th edition of the London Marathon on April 27 with hopes of defending his 2024 crown, where he clocked 2:04:01.
However, despite a brave effort, he settled for third in 2:04:20 after a dramatic sprint finish alongside Dutch star Abdi Nageeye.
Munyao was awarded third place following a photo finish, with Nageeye settling for fourth spot in
2023 World Half Marathon champion Sebastian Sawe stunned the elite field with a blistering 2:02:27 to claim his maiden major marathon title in only his second 42km race.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the World half-marathon record holder, marked an impressive debut over the full marathon distance, finishing third in 2:03:37.
Munyao praised the calibre of competition, acknowledging that the stacked field forced him to revise his goal.
"The field this year was very strong. There were almost 11 elite athletes who had won different Marathons."
"My target was to ensure I at least made the podium even if I would not be able to defend my title," Munyao said.
He described how Sawe’s decisive surge around the 30km mark disrupted the chase group.
"At around the 30km mark, Sawe just took off with such a ferocious pace. That move stunned us and, in a way, derailed some of our game plan."
"He even skipped some water stations just to keep the gap growing. Kiplimo followed him, and the rest of us formed the second group of chasers," he said.
The 2013 World Youth 3,000m bronze medallist highlighted his intense duel with Nageeye in the final stretch.
"We ran together with Nageeye for about three kilometres. I was trying to evade him, but he just kept coming back. He planned to stay behind me and use me as a pacer, then outkick me at the finish line."
"I had told myself I would not let that happen, so at the finish when he tried to outsprint me, I gave it my all and we crossed the line together, but I could see I was a bit ahead of him," he noted.
Looking ahead, Munyao is focused on ironing out a key weakness — the drop-off he often experiences between the 30km and 35km mark.
"In past races, I usually fall behind between the 30-35km mark and get left behind, then by the 38km I start recovering ground, but the others are well ahead."
"This is something I want to work on, and we will sit down with my coach and see how we can fix this area," he stated.
