1 month ago
Key events Show cardinal events only Please move connected JavaScript to usage this feature
Elite wheelchair race: Still unclear what happened but Rainbow-Cooper has conscionable started nan race, astir 5 minutes aft her competitions. She was aiming for a podium spot today.
Elite wheelchair race: We are conscionable proceeding that Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper did not really extremity up starting nan race.
Elite wheelchair race: And they are off! Women connected nan near broadside of nan course, men connected nan right.
Elite wheelchair race: It looked for illustration we whitethorn person had a hold successful nan commencement of nan title arsenic Great Britain’s Eden Rainbow-Cooper had a puncture but because it was earlier nan title – and not during – she was allowed thief to move successful 1 of her spares.
Official starters: Great Britain’s four-time Olympic golden medallist Mo Farah returns to nan London Marathon for nan first clip since retiring from athletics successful 2024. Seen arsenic nan top British endurance jock successful history, Farah is besides nan British grounds holder for nan marathon. He will beryllium joined connected nan starter’s podium by Red Roses Rugby World Cup-winning prima Ellie Kildunne, caller disconnected nan backmost of England’s Six Nations crippled against Wales taking spot nan time before.
The brace will beryllium nan charismatic starters for nan elite wheelchair, elite women’s and elite men’s races, arsenic good arsenic nan wide start, sending much than 59,000 participants connected their measurement from Blackheath to nan Mall.
The prodigious growth of moving clubs, fuelled by young women, has seen nan fame of nan London Marathon sky-rocket.
double quotation markMore than 1.1 cardinal group entered nan ballot for this year’s title – 750,000 much than 4 years ago. Notably, a 3rd of those were successful nan 18-29 category, pinch female entrants making up nan biggest percent of those nether 30.
The detonation successful this caller breed of moving clubs aliases “crews” has been cardinal to nan boom. Unlike a accepted club, their accent isn’t usually connected super-fast times but connected being inclusive, enjoying a tally and a chat, and a java afterwards.
And it is gen Z women who are embracing them astir of all. According to Jenny Mannion, who founded nan female-running group Runners and Stunners successful 2023, it is because they are searching for different real-life experiences aft nan pandemic than millennials for illustration her.
Read much from Sean Ingle below.
Preamble
After immoderate unthinkable upwind for nan past 7 days, nan week successful nan superior is ending connected a precocious statement pinch nan 2026 London Marathon.
The elite section is stacked, arsenic always. On nan men’s side, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe is hoping to take sides his title aft a triumph successful 2025 pinch a clip of 2:02:27. He faces reliable title against Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, nan half marathon world record-holder and Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta, who became nan 20th fastest marathoner successful history pinch a clip of 2:03:27 astatine nan 2024 Seville Marathon.
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa won nan women’s title past twelvemonth aft a women-only world grounds clip 2:15:50. Her consistency successful awesome races crossed nan twelvemonth makes her a dense favourite, but past years runner-up, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, is aiming to do 1 better.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug is nan top marathon wheelchair racer successful history. The three-time Paralympic marathon champion has won much Abbott World Marathon Majors than anyone other successful history pinch 42 and a triumph coming would propulsion him level pinch David Weir arsenic nan astir successful jock successful London Marathon history.
The women’s wheelchair grounds holder, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner, is not conscionable aiming for nan title, which she won past year, but nan world record, which she missed by conscionable 2 seconds successful 2025. At nan 2024 Paris Paralympics she won a 5 golden medals successful nan 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon distances.
After nan commencement of nan elite races, astir 60,000 will past caput disconnected and person astatine nan 26.2 miles (42.195 km) crossed nan capital.
As always, nonstop maine your thoughts, predictions, questions and comments. Do you cognize anyone racing today? Are you gearing up to return nan London streets? I want to cognize truthful send maine an email!
Elite men’s and women’s wheelchair title – 8.50am (all times BST)
Elite women’s title – 9.05am
Elite men’s title and wide commencement – 9.35am
