Martin Lel, the defending champion from Kenya, won the men's race in the 2008 London Marathon in a course record time of 2 hours 5 minutes and 15 seconds.

Lel justified his billing as favourite after winning a sprint finish in a time that broke the previous London best of 2hr 5min 38sec set by Khalid Khannounchi of the United States in 2002.

Sammy Wanjiru, also of Kenya, was second in 2hr 5min 24sec while Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri finished third in 2hr 5min 30sec.

At one point Lel looked as if he might threaten the world record of 2hr 4min 26sec set by Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie in Berlin in September before slowing in the closing stages.