Tanni Grey-Thompson
Six-time London Marathon winner on BBC TV

"In the women's wheelchair race, American Tatyana McFadden is amazing and is taking on marathons by storm. There are a number of wheelchair athletes who have made the transition to cross-country skiing as Tatyana has done [she won a silver medal at the Winter Paralympics in Sochi in the 1km sprint] but it will be tough for her.

"Shelly Woods has had a tough couple of years and is now training with Dave Weir and his coach Jenny Archer and had a personal best in the Lisbon Half Marathon. She is very strong but works best when she can go out in front and dominate."

Cherie Bradley:, external Watching the London marathon #bbcmarathon good luck Mo! @Mo_Farah ahhh making me nervous

British Winter Olympic medallist Jenny Jones:, external Massive Good luck to everyone taking part in the London marathon today!

The elite wheelchair racers are about to set off but can anyone stop Tatyana McFadden? Victory, in a course record time, in London last year was one of four marathon triumphs in 2013, the year she became the first athlete to win four major marathons in a single year.

There are a trio of fellow Americans - Shirley Reilly, Susannah Scaroni and Amanda McGrory - who could challenge McFadden and there's also Britain's Shelly Woods, who is hoping to win her third London Marathon.

Japan's Wakako Tsuchida is the fastest woman in the field while Sandra Graf, third last year, is also a former winner. They've been introduced to the cheery crowd and - they're off!

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson says she expects David Weir to overtake her record and make amends for finishing fifth in last year's competition.

"He's had a really strong season so far and I think he was disappointed last year so he'll have the drive," she said.

"It's going to be a tough race because I think all the other guys don't want him to win so it depends how much they gang up against him to try to make it a really challenging race for him."

We will be keeping an eye on David Weir this morning as the Briton aims for a record seventh title in London. The Paralympic gold medallist has said it would be one of his biggest achievements if he was to overtake Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's haul of six wins in the wheelchair race, a record she has shared with Weir since 2012.

"I'm stuck on six - six World Championships, six Paralympic titles and six London Marathons so it is getting to me a bit and I really want to put every effort in on Sunday," he has said.

Image source, Reuters

The start of many of the races have been changed this year, mainly as a reaction to Tiki Gelana's collision with wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy in 2013. I suppose I should give you the start times, there's no reason to be coy about these things.

08:40 Mini London Marathon

08:55 Elite wheelchair races (men and women)

09:15 Elite Women

10:00 Elite men, British Athletics & England Athletics Championships and the Mass Race

Steve Cram
BBC athletics commentator

"We hope it will be a great day for Mo and he will get great support from the crowds but how he will fare? We will have to wait and see. He is as well prepared as he wants to be but the marathon is an unpredictable event and sometimes even the best don't manage to contend in what is a difficult event."

It's a picture-perfect day in the English capital this morning, cloudless blue skies with a glorious sun which is expecting to hot up as the day unfolds.

And if you're not taking part in the race then, worry not, you can still do your bit and the best way to do that is to tweet us some chit-shat using the hashtag #bbcmarathon. Are you strategically placed on the course to cheer on a loved one? Have you already taken up the best vantage to do the Mo-bot?

Image source, PA

But the London Marathon isn't about winning, is it? Admittedly, it's a test of stamina and mental strength like no other competition on these shores, but it is also the world's biggest one-day fundraising event. All we want to see is a man dressed as a whoppee cushion and find out whether the runner dressed as a toilet will drag his bowl and chain over 26.2 miles of limb-dulling concrete.

By the way, I don't know the answer to those questions - this live text isn't written from the future - and Mo Farah has not been overly bullish ahead of his full debut in the race.

"Every race is a risk. Every race you go through, you achieve a lot and want to win but you're not guaranteed to win that race," the 31-year-old has said.

"I've gone in straight at the deep end and that's what champions do. You don't get anywhere if you don't do that."

Hello! Welcome to live text commentary for the London Marathon where Mo Farah, invincible on the track in major championships over the last 18 months, attempts to transfer his prowess on to the road.

But can the double Olympic and world champion glide over 26.2 miles of asphalt on his debut and beat a celebrated field? Champions, of course, dare to dream but are our hopes that the Briton will cross the finishing line ahead of the rest real life or just fantasy?

Image source, Getty Images

Ah, first times. Who could ever forget them? The first footsteps, the first kiss, the first night out in Merthyr Tydfil. As nervy as they are memorable. But at least the eyes of a nation weren't looking on as you made your opening bow; placing you on a tightrope, expecting you to smooch like Casanova, or watching you stiletto into the night after glugging some hard liquor.

Image source, Getty Images

But, for some, life is lived through a lens and today Britain's greatest distance runner will run into the unknown, and we will be there to witness it.

Image source, Reuters