Jess Warner-Judd to make London Marathon debut after epilepsy comeback

Jess Warner-Judd’s London Marathon debut carries a rare kind of weight. Less than two years after collapsing in the women’s 10,000m final at the European Athletics Championships in Rome and later being diagnosed with epilepsy, the Great Britain runner has reached the point where 26.2 miles on London’s biggest stage is no longer out of reach.

Warner-Judd’s collapse in June 2024 ended with a seizure-induced DNF and a period she has described as traumatic. Athletics Weekly said she had spent a difficult 12 months adapting to epilepsy, a stretch that could have pushed many athletes out of contention altogether. Instead, Warner-Judd rebuilt enough form to return to road racing and win the Big Half in 2025, a clear sign that her career had moved from survival mode back toward competition.

Her road back has been measured rather than dramatic. Athletics Weekly noted that she had "eased back into action" after the epilepsy setback, and that is the clearest frame for her progress. Warner-Judd did not rush into a marathon comeback; she accumulated enough racing to show that the collapse in Rome was not the end of her elite level. That matters in a sport where confidence, medical management and physical load all have to line up before an athlete can safely chase another major debut.

The numbers underline why her return matters. World Athletics lists Warner-Judd, born on 7 January 1995, with personal bests of 30:35.93 for 10,000 metres, 1:07:07 for the half marathon and 2:24:45 for the marathon. She is no novice on the international stage either, having won World U20 silver and finished inside the top eight at senior world championships.

That marathon best came at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2025, where Warner-Judd placed seventh in 2:24:45 behind a field led by Hellen Obiri, Sharon Lokedi and Sheila Chepkirui. It was a strong enough debut to suggest the distance belongs in her range, and now London gives her a home-country test on one of the sport’s most visible courses.

For British athletics, Warner-Judd’s appearance adds more than another elite entry. It turns the London Marathon into a test case for how a world-class runner can come back from a serious medical scare, recalibrate her racing life and still arrive at the start line with legitimate ambition.