Jess Warner-Judd’s comeback
- Jess Warner-Judd will make her London Marathon debut on April 26 after a mid-race seizure and epilepsy diagnosis under two years ago. (bbc.com) - The 2026 race is the TCS London Marathon’s 46th edition, and all four reigning champions are returning. (run247.com) - Her participation frames this year’s elite field as a notable comeback story amid wider concerns about race-day heat and scheduling. (bbc.com)
Jess Warner-Judd will make her London Marathon debut on Sunday, April 26, less than two years after a mid-race seizure in Rome left her fearing she might have to retire. (sports.yahoo.com) Warner-Judd, 31, collapsed with 600 meters left in the 10,000-meter final at the European Championships in June 2024 after showing visible loss of coordination during the race, BBC Sport reported. A second seizure followed after she was taken from the track on a stretcher, and she was later diagnosed with focal epilepsy. (sports.yahoo.com) Her first warning had come months earlier in a low-key 10,000-meter race in California, where she also failed to finish after a seizure, but follow-up tests did not then produce a diagnosis. She told BBC Sport doctors later warned she would probably have to retire if she kept trying to race before treatment. (sports.yahoo.com) London is not just a return to racing for Warner-Judd. London Marathon Events said she and Patrick Dever are both making London debuts after marathon debuts at the 2025 New York City Marathon, where the British field also includes Emile Cairess and Eilish McColgan. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The race around her is loaded with established champions. London Marathon Events said defending men’s champion Sabastian Sawe is back for the 46th edition, while women’s champion Tigst Assefa also returns and wheelchair star Marcel Hug will chase a record-equaling eighth London title. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 1) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 2) Organizers expect more than 59,000 runners at the start line on Sunday after a record 1.13 million ballot applications, which London Marathon Events called the highest total for any marathon. The event is also set to include more than 1,900 participants with a disability in the mass race. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) Warner-Judd’s route to this start line has stretched across distances. BBC Sport said she began as an 800-meter runner, later placed eighth in the world at 10,000 meters, and is now moving up again for her first London over 26.2 miles. (sports.yahoo.com) She told BBC Sport she feels she has been given “a second chance at running.” On Sunday in London, that second chance will play out in the biggest marathon field the race has ever staged. (sports.yahoo.com) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk)
