Here's that historic moment when astronaut Tim Peake got the elite men's and mass participation race underway....

Mile two for the men in four minutes 40 and change. Dear me, how do they do it? There are roughly nine men in touch with the pacers. Ghirmay Ghebreslassie and Kenenisa Bekele are among them and neither of those men have shown they could hack a pace like this over 26.2 miles.

The strides on show look long, confident and efficient.

Image source, Reuters

If you've never seen the London Marathon live, the three starts converge after a few miles. It's like seeing thousands of ants all chasing the same pathway to safety. People seem to arrive from every angle, sporting thousands of colours. As our last entry shows you, the men will hit this point pretty quickly.

So on the day where we will meet the 1,000,000th finisher of this famous race, why not meet Mike Peace. One of only 12 people to have taken part in every London Marathon.

"The inspirational thing is how London took the first Marathon to their hearts."

Watch more from Mike in the video above.

Brendan Foster
Olympic medallist and BBC athletics commentator on BBC One

"I have sat here 36 years in a row and that was the most dramatic yet. A start from outer space.

"What a day, what an occassion. Who would have thought all those years ago that we would have an event with 1,000,000 people taking part."

Paula Radcliffe
Women's marathon world record holder on BBC TV

So does Britain's world record marathon holder miss being on the track? Nah...

"Given my fitness, I'd rather be sat here now. But I always want to be running."

Quite incredibly, nine of these men have said they want a pace of 2:03:30 - that's a course record but not a world record. Little wonder then that as they race away from what is one of three starts the London Marathon has, a gap quickly appears.

You might have noticed we have been celebrating the work of William Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death. 

To honour his work BBC Knowledge and Learning have created this clever interactive tool allowing you to find the Shakespeare quote suit your needs. 

We'll feature the best, London Marathon related, quotes during the day but have a go yourself or send any others you can think of to #GetInspired!

Image source, PA

Like a rocket the favourites blast away from the start line, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Wilson Kipsang are flying away behind the pacemakers. There is some high-vis headwear on show too. What a spectacle.

Steve Cram
BBC athletics commentator on BBC One

"Lift off for the London Marathon 2016."

...everyone is smiling at the moment. That's bound to change.

The men's elite are out in front. Look out for reigning champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya - he remains the favourite to retain his title. 

We are about to cross to the International Space Station where Tim Peake will give us a 10-second countdown...

You can read more about how Tim Peake will run a Marathon on the International Space Station here, external.

And here we go. Look at that, just look at that. A whopping 39,000 runners are ready to rock. 

If you could bottle all the emotion, you'd have a potion to fuel a space shuttle. Speaking of space shuttles...

Steve Cram
BBC athletics commentator on BBC One

"A great man and a great tribute to his great work."

As the mass race competitors line up, we have a minute of applause for John Disley who co-founded the London Marathon in 1981. Disley passed away in February and his family are here to see him remembered.

And here's some more advice - from the oldest competitor in the race.

Aged 88, Iva Barr is this year's oldest London Marathon competitor.

She has been running Marathon's for "30-odd years" and has some advice for  all those running the 26 miles today. 

You can hear more from her by clicking here. 

One of the Kenyan threats, Priscah Jeptoo is in trouble. Here PB of 2:20 will not be under threat it seems. As she bounds down the road, knees dipping inwards to an uncomfortable extent, she finds herself cut adrift of the lead pack by some 30 seconds. It's a bit of a shock for her to fold so early on. She won't be wagging her finger in victory today.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's Sport Wales sports psychologist Louise Jones giving her tips for anyone running a Marathon. 

Our mass start is some 10 minutes away. That rattling feeling in your stomach is nerves whether it's a competing or watching brief you have. What do you do at this stage when the start line beckons? We'll tell you with the help of a professional next.