X45-49 at TCS London Marathon 2026: Berkowitz Dominates, Fox Storms Through the Field

• Larry Berkowitz won the X45-49 age group in 3:14:18 (7:25/mi), more than 11 minutes clear of 2nd place.
• Helen Fox finished 3rd in 3:44:15, climbing from 23rd to 15th among women — the most dramatic positional surge in the group.
• Christopher Eddolls posted the 20th-fastest split in the field on the 25K–30K stretch, helping him claw from 32nd to 24th among women through that phase before settling 5th in 4:04:54.
• Thirteen finishers completed the X45-49 field, with finish times ranging from 3:14:18 to 6:37:41.

Larry Berkowitz set the tone early and never relinquished it. Holding 4th among women from the very first checkpoint all the way to the line, his 3:14:18 at 7:25/mi was a model of controlled, unwavering execution. His 2nd-fastest women's split on the 30K–35K segment — when many around him were beginning to feel London's 14 mph wind and the creeping fatigue of the late miles — underlined that his finishing speed was very much intact. Robert Roberts settled into 2nd in the age group with a 3:25:53 (7:51/mi), a comfortable 11:35 back, having posted the 6th-fastest women's split on the first half but fading slightly in the standings from 6th to 7th among women across the closing stages.

The most compelling subplot belonged to Helen Fox. She began the race 23rd among women and spent the entire marathon moving forward, reaching 15th by the finish in 3:44:15 (8:33/mi). Her 13th-fastest women's split on the half-to-25K segment was the engine of that charge, and she arrived 3rd in the X45-49 group as a result. Emery Babarczi, 4th in 3:56:48 (9:02/mi), actually moved the other direction — sliding from 15th to 21st among women — suggesting a stronger opening effort that cost her in the back half. Eddolls rounded out the top five in 4:04:54, his 25K–30K surge the highlight of a race that saw him gain eight women's places through that single segment alone.

Ernest Ryan Valencia in 6th (4:20:17) through Lisa Folkes in 13th (6:37:41) completed a wide spread of the age group, with nearly two and a half hours separating the field from first to last — a reminder that the X45-49 group at London spans a remarkable range of ambition and ability, all on the same 26.2 miles of road.