Jane Ashbrook: Instead of running London on Sunday I will be running 26.2 miles (about 860 laps of my garden) to raise money for Barnabus Manchester, a charity supporting homeless and vulnerable people. My friends and family are joining in virtually to keep me going!

Joe Powell: Have been training for the London Marathon. I want to wait until the actual marathon to be my first ‘26 miles’, so am going to run 26 kilometres and donate to my chosen charity as well.

Robert Tansey: I am running a socially-distanced marathon around the square I live on in London: 177.3 laps of 238m and 709 corners. The goal is to break 3 hours and I'm raising money for NHS Together and the NET. Neighbours will be counting laps and cheering me on.

Image source, BBC Sport

If you would like to imagine yourself pounding the pavements of the capital however, why not play BBC Sport's little London Marathon name game.

Not sure if the Rock is going to stand for spending 11 hours plus out on the course with me dressed as a bottle of Colemans' finest.

A big hit of nostalgia right here.

Remember, fingers crossed, we hope to be seeing scenes similar to these on London's streets on 4 October - the new date for the postponed marathon.

Some of you who were due to race got in touch earlier this week to say how you've been keeping in shape for October's London Marathon.

Wayne Fox: I was due to run for the RNLI and achieved my fundraising target of £2,300. I’ve begun training for the 55K Lakeland Trails Ultra which is my challenge in July. I’ve been keeping in shape by running around our small garden with my two and three year-old daughters.

Charles Davis: I was due to be running, but injured my knee last summer and needed two operations (ACL reconstruction). But now it’s been moved to October I will be able to do it :)

Amanda Kentish: I was due to run in the London Marathon this Sunday, I will still be running in the marathon in October. I’ve been still training for the marathon and I did a half-marathon on Sunday just gone. This Sunday I will be trying to run the full marathon!

Image source, Help for Heroes

Over on the Help for Heroes Instagram Stories, the Manx Missile Mark Cavendish has just turned over 2.6km in a whistle stop four and a half minutes on his turbo trainer. He has laid down the challenge to do likewise to Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy and Joe Wicks.

Let's see how that one develops..

Some of you got in touch earlier in the week to tell us your stories:

Usingh Bolt: I was due to run London this weekend for Macmillan's Cancer Support. Instead I will run 2.6 miles backwards for Macmillan's at about 10am on Sunday instead. In a car park that's not in use at the moment.

Carole Crawshaw: I was due to run London Marathon on Sunday, I didn’t want my training to go to waste. I’m now challenging myself to run 26.2 miles over 7 days finishing on Sunday to raise funds for my local hospice!

Image source, Insanity

A heroic effort here from community radio presenter Meg Walker, who is running a marathon in her back garden, whilst broadcasting a 26.2-hour marathon radio show on Insanity Radio.

She's raising money for two charities: CLIC Sargent and Start The Wave.

Lockdown hasn't stopped Meg - who in 2019 ran a marathon live on a treadmill during a 48-hour radio programme. She's broadcasting the entire show live from home, and has already been on air for 16 hours.She has less than 20km to go, and is on air until just after 20:00 BST tonight. This is Meg's fifth year of fundraising - celebrating the life of her friend Rob who sadly passed away from testicular cancer at 21, and raising money to support young people with cancer. She's currently raised over £1,200.

I think you would forgive her links getting shorter on time and energy by the end!

Back in 2001, the So Solid Crew sprawling membership each took on 21 seconds to hit us with their turn-of-the-millennium garage flows. Epoch-defining stuff.

Back here in 2020, Keri-Anne Payne has got together 26 Olympians, including the likes of Tom Daley, Greg Rutherford and Chris Hoy, to give us each a one-minute workout exercise. They have been stiched together to create a session that would leave Joe Wicks flat out on the lino.

Give it a go

If you need a little pep in your step this morning as you head out for a fund-raising run - why not take a gander at the greatest British marathon running feat in history.

Paula Radcliffe's jaw-dropping 2:15:25 in the 2003 London Marathon - a mark that stood unbettered for more than 16 years until Kenya's Brigid Kosgei finally beat it in Chicago last year.

Image source, Rev Edd Stock

Rev Edd Stock: Hi I’m a Vicar I’m South East London and I’m running this Sunday on a treadmill to raise money to support vulnerable families in our community. I will be leading part of my Sunday service on Facebook live and live streaming the whole event.

Megan Williams: All of the Sports Therapists/Physiotherapists in our company are taking on a challenge ranging from 26 press ups, to 26 minutes of running, to 26 HIIT sessions in a day (yes, that’s a mini workout session every 30 minutes from 8.30am through to 9pm on Sunday!)

The image above is the scene out of Edd's window. He is a Minister at Holy Trinity Forest Hill Sydenham

Image source, Getty

So if you are getting out there and getting active - whilst adhering to social distancing guidelines - for charity today, let us know.

Hit us up on #bbcathletics on Twitter or Instagram with details and images from your 2.6 Challenge.

Image source, Getty Images

For others the bar has been set a little higher.

Former Southampton defender Francis Benali was going to be running a full marathon around his garden.

The 51-year-old has already suffered a set-back before even taking his first step on the 26.2 mile run.

“I tried to do a trial run yesterday, but after 15 laps I felt very dizzy and really rough," he said on Thursday.“I consulted with the team at the club, and they said the challenge would be dangerous if I continued."

But, not to be denied, Benali has got a treadmill shipped in and will be doing the distance on the conveyor belt.

He is raising money for Saints Foundation and NHS Charities Together.

Some of the sporting celebrities getting involved have made it look easy....

Here is England's sultan of swing James Anderson and the marvellously multi-talent Mrs Jessica Ennis Hill raising money for the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

Peak District with a scene-stealing cameo in Ennis-Hill's contribution there.

Image source, Getty Images

The 2.6 Challenge begins today regardless.

What? You haven't heard of it?

Let me hand over to Nick Rusling, co-Chair of the Mass Participation Sports Organisers group (MSO) and CEO of Human Race

“The 2.6 Challenge can be anything that works for you. You can run or walk 2.6 miles, 2.6km or for 26 minutes. You could do the same in your home or garden, go up and down the stairs 26 times, juggle for 2.6 minutes, do a 26 minute exercise class or get 26 people on a video call and do a 26 minute workout – anything you like. We want people to get active, have fun and raise money to help Save the UK’s Charities by giving money or raising funds for the charity close to your heart.”

And people up and down the country have taken up the challenge...

Image source, Getty

Back here in 2020, it has obviously been a very different scene in the city in the past few weeks.

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted a near-total suspension of global sport and major changes to the way we live our everyday lives.

However, even a nationwide lockdown hasn't stopped the Great British public running and raising vital funds for charity.

Image source, Getty

Image source, Getty Images

The second fastest time ever. The largest ever field. A record-breaking £66.4m raised for charity.

London Marathon 2019 feels aeons ago, not just 12 months.

Image source, Getty