London marathon expected to break world record
56,000 are set to take to the capital's streets today
This year's London Marathon is set to break the world record for the most finishers in a marathon.
On Sunday, April 27, 56,000 runners are expected to cross the finish line in this year’s London Marathon. This would surpass the previous world record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon last November.
The London Marathon already has the record as the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event, having raised over £1.3 billion for charity since its inception in 1981.
The event starts at 8:50 am when the elite wheelchair men’s and women’s race gets underway. Then, at 9:05, the elite women set off before the elite men’s race begins at 9:35, just before the mass start.
There are plenty of exciting names in this year’s elite category. For the men, these include Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to ever run a sub-two-hour marathon, and Alex Yee, who won Olympic and world gold last year, and is making his marathon debut.
For the women, there’s Olympic champion Sifan Hassan as well as Tigst Assefa, the second-fastest woman and previous world record holder.
The 26.2-mile course starts in Greenwich and takes runners past several iconic London landmarks. These include the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, the London Eye and Big Ben. The event ends in its usual iconic spot on the Mall near Buckingham Palace.
Temperatures are expected to be around 21°C-22°C which would make it a lovely day out for spectators, but perhaps hard work for runners. In particular, those running in fancy dress.