Summary

Live Reporting

Matthew Henry & Charlotte Coates

  1. Bekele pays tribute to Kiptum

    Kelvin KiptumGetty Images

    The men's race promises to be an emotional one today.

    Tributes will be paid to last year's winner Kelvin Kiptum, the world and London marathon record holder, who died in a car crash in Kenya earlier this year.

    Kenenisa Bekele, a legend of long distance running who is running today, says Kiptum will always hold a place in the hearts of marathon runners.

    "Kelvin of course, all of us miss him," Bekele said. "Even within his short time, he has been setting an amazing history.

    "The course record is also under his name and we are all remembering him.

    "We put him in a special place in our heart because in a really within a short time he has done a lot for our sport."

  2. Get Involved

    #bbcmarathon, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    We want to give a shout out to Miss Grant - the primary 5 teacher from Neilston Primary School near Glasgow. We ran the mini marathon with her this week and now she will do it for real! Go Miss Grant! You are the best!

    Callan and all of P5

    Good luck Miss Cosh and Miss Blackburn! You're going to smash it!

    Joshua and Finlay Williams, Willow and Pine Classes, St Margaret's Academy, Torquay

  3. Men's Wheelchair race

    Andrew Cotter
    BBC commentator on BBC TV

    David Weir will hope to stay in contact and hope for a strong sprint finish but it's coming down to Daniel Romanchuk and Marcel Hug.

  4. The Swiss lead the wheelchair races

    Wheelchair races

    Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner has pulled clear in the women's wheelchair race. She's reeling in some of the slower male racers.

    Compatriot Marcel Hug and American Daniel Romanchuk are leading the men's race with David Weir a little further back.

    There's about an hour left in those races.

  5. Women's elite race

    The women's race has already broken up into three distinct groups.

    The main contenders from Kenya and Ethiopia are at the front.

    As it stands there are three pace makers across the front, setting a time that would be well inside that women's-only world record.

  6. Stacked women's elite race under way

    Women's elite race

    Runners start the women's elite race at the London MarathonReuters

    There are hats and gloves on the start line among the women's elite runners. It's chilly.

    Tigst Assefa, the world record holder, is the last to be introduced.

    They're calling this the best marathon field ever assembled in the women's race. Could the women's-only world record fall?

    Away they go...

  7. Get Involved

    #bbcmarathon, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Can you mention Craig ‘Lewy’ Lewis who is running the marathon today carrying 45.7kg to represent the 457 soldiers who didn’t come home from Afghanistan when he served in the forces. He’s doing it to raise money for the Royal British Legion. His number today is 30762

    Andy Tanner

    Good luck to Tom Chadwick running his 1st Marathon to support Emmaus UK Charity in helping the homeless

    Love all the Salim family

  8. The mass runners are starting to turn up ahead of their races starting around 10am.

    There's already some fantastic outfits on show.

    A runner at the London Marathon in a British Airways plane outfitPA Media
    A runner in a giraffe outfit at the London MarathonPA Media
    A competitor dressed as a tap before the TCS London Marathon.PA Media

  9. Culling's rapid rise to London Marathon's elites

    Anya CullingAnya Culling

    Anya Culling's story is remarkable.

    She ran the London Marathon for the first time in 2019 among the masses and did so in a very respectable four and a half hours.

    Since then, however, the 25-year-old has knocked two hours off her personal best time and starts today alongside the world record holder in the elite field.

    "I am blown away whenever I think about what I've done," she told BBC Sport. "I still think it's beginner's luck, but then lockdown was a long time ago.

    "I just think about myself in 2019, the difference between me then and now. My brother would join me on runs and he'd have to wait at every single corner for me to catch up.

    "I used to walk in cross country at school."

  10. 'Those chairs are very expensive'

    Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
    Six-time London Marathon wheelchair champion on BBC TV

    Those chairs are very expensive. You're looking at around £30,000 and £6,000 for the wheels. These are the reasons why times are getting quicker.

  11. Assefa targets record time

    Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya's Brigid Kosgei, Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa and Ethiopia's Peres JepchirchirGetty Images

    Today's women's elite race should be a very exciting.

    The field is led by Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who broke the world record in Berlin last September.

    She is aiming to beat the London women's-only record - the fastest time by a woman in a marathon that was not a mixed-gender event - of 2:17:01 set by Kenya's Mary Keitany in 2017.

    But the start list also features Kenya's trio of Brigid Kosgei, Ruth Chepngetich and Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, and Ethiopia's 2020 London Marathon champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

    Kosgei, Chepngetich and Assefa are three of the four fastest women over the distance in history.

    Sifan Hassan, who won the race so dramatically on her debut last year, has not entered.

  12. Get Involved

    #bbcmarathon, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    A huge shout out to Michelle Brown who is running the marathon for Whittingam Kennels, Retired Greyhounds Charity- finding homes for retired greyhounds when their own racing career is over. They are far too lazy to do a marathon though. They only need two 20 mins walks per day.

    Louise and all the team and Greyhounds at the Kennels

    Wishing good luck to Harry Madgwick Lawton who is running in memory of my 52 year old husband Nicholas Pavitt and raising funds for Saint Francis Hospice in Romford, Essex.

    Caroline

  13. Wheelchair races under way

    Daniel Romanchuk of the U.S. and Britain's David Weir in action during the men's wheelchair raceReuters

    And their off...

    Both the men's and women's wheelchair athletes speed off on their journey.

    David Weir heads to the front right away.

  14. 'We're much more like cycling than running'

    Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, speaking to BBC: "We're much more like cycling than running. They probably like a couple more days but they're so used to travelling these days, it's not much of an issue.

    "London is such a different course so it'll be a much more tactical race today. Maddy De Rozario is great in a sprint so they'll want to get her away from that kick."

    On David Weir's 25th consectutive London marathon: "It shows how different wheelchair racing is to running. You don't do as much damage to your body as well. He's got the sprint finish. If Dave can hang on then Marcel Hug will be worried if it comes down to a sprint finish."

  15. Women's wheelchair race

    Great Britain's Eden Rainbow-Cooper comes into the women's wheelchair race 'fresh' from winning the Boston Marathon on Monday.

    Madison de Rozario is the defending champion and the reigning Paralympic gold medallist.

  16. The wheelchair athletes are on the start line. The racing will get under way very shortly.

  17. Get Involved

    #bbcmarathon, WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Good luck our darling Ian Marchant, running his 3rd London Marathon for the Miscarriage Association for the 3 heartbeats we never got to meet! We love you.

    love your wife Amanda and our rainbow daughter Ava xxx

    My daughter Sinead is running in memory of her Dad whom she said goodbye when she was 16. He died from cancer and she is running for Cancer research UK.

    Mary Gorman

  18. 'We'll find out how badly the body is damanged today

    Hardest Geezer Russ Cook, speaking to BBC One about his run across Africa: "I could only really sum it up by saying it was carnage from start to finish. I think we'll find out how badly the body is damaged today. I was in Brighton at about 3am one night decided to run 11 miles. It was that kind of journey that made me decide to start this journey."

    McFly drummer Harry Judd said: "This guy is a total inspiration. I followed his journey and it was amazing."

  19. 'Hardest Geezer' running again two weeks after Africa challenge

    Russell CookGetty Images

    Another you might recognise today is Hardest Geezer, AKA Russell Cook.

    Less than two weeks after completing his challenge of running the length of Africa, Cook will be completing another marathon, this time on the streets of London.

    He says this time he's running to help pace younger participants as part of his work for charity.

    Speaking on JaackMaate’s Happy Hour podcast, he said it would help him keep his body “ticking over” while he plans his future.

    “In terms of my next big challenge, it’s going to be a hard one to top. And I don’t really want to be away for another year,” he said.

  20. Weir to race in 'Formula 1 chair'

    David Weir and Marcel HugGetty Images

    More from David Weir on his new racing chair and battle with rival Marcel Hug: "It's basically a Formula 1 chair because it's made by Sauber (which has a Formula 1 team under the name Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber), it feels amazing to push.

    "I'm very aero[dynamic], the chair's aero, it's a full carbon chair - it's great to be in.

    "Marcel is on top of his game and is the master of the marathon distance at the moment, it's a special race for me because it's where I started my journey."