Elite Women's Press Conference
Reigning champion Tigst Assefa is targeting a new women-only world record at the 2026 TCS London Marathon and believes she can beat the blistering 2:15:50 she set here last year.
Assefa, from Ethiopia, revealed at the elite women’s pre-race press conference that her training this year had surpassed her preparation for the triumph in 2025 and she would be going out at world-record pace on Sunday 26 April.
“My training has gone well, it has been better, even, than my preparation last year, so I think it is possible to beat the record I set last year.
“If I am going to try to break the world record again, the pacemaking has to be important. I am expecting the time that the pacemakers will set for the half distance will be allowing me to run faster than the record last year.
“I’ve done a lot of endurance training and I’ve done a lot of speed training. Over the last three weeks I’ve been focusing more on the speed side of my preparation.”
Watch the full press conference with Tigst Assefa, Joyciline Jepkosgei, Hellen Obiri and Julia Paternain below.
Key quotes
Joyciline Jepkosgei
Joyciline Jepkosgei, the 2021 champion, has a formidable record in London, making the podium in all four of her appearances here. The 32-year-old, from Kenya, set a world-best time of 2:14:00 at the 2025 Valencia Marathon to become the fourth-fastest woman in history over the distance.
“It was amazing for me to run my personal best in Valencia and after that my training has been going all well. I have trained hard for it [the race on Sunday] and we will see what I can do on Sunday.
“It has been a great experience for me running here and being on the podium every time. My focus in London is to run good and always [when I came] the weather was good, the pacers, everything was perfect. That’s why I do my best to be on the podium.”
Hellen Obiri
Hellen Obiri, from Kenya, will be making her much-anticipated London debut after plenty of success in the US, with two wins apiece at the Boston Marathon presented by the Bank of America and the TCS New York City Marathon. Obiri spoke of her excitement at competing in a women-only field for the first time in London.
“This is my first experience to race with these strong ladies. I’ve never raced a race with the pacemaker and I am so excited to see how these ladies can do.
“So far my preparations have gone so well, we have been working so hard to train well and to stay healthy, which is the most important thing.”
Julia Paternain
Julia Paternain was a podium finisher at the 2017 Mini London Marathon and said it was a full-circle moment to be back in the UK this weekend to race the full distance. Paternain, who grew up in the UK but represents Uruguay, produced one of the great sporting moments of 2025 when she won the marathon bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. It was Uruguay's first ever medal at a World Athletics Championships.
“It’s just been a whirlwind since then [winning bronze in Tokyo]. I’ve been feeling a lot of gratitude for all the opportunities that’ve come my way since that race. The whole thing still feels very surreal.
“I ran the Mini Marathon and I absolutely loved that race. It was probably one of my first ever road races. I finished that race and said I want to run the full marathon eventually. So being back here feels like a full-circle moment.”
