Leanne: It's emotional watching so what it must feel like to be participating - good luck everyone!!!

Danny: Good luck to my boy Lee Climpson in the Virgin London Marathon today. Amazing training commitment throughout this year.

Almost an hour after the first mass participants started, runners are still making their way across the startline as they set off in waves. The latest group features someone dressed as a tap and another as a rhino.

Germany's Merle Menje takes second place in the women's wheelchair race after beating American Tatyana Mcfadden in a sprint finish.

Menje only recently turned 17 - one to watch for sure.

In the women's elite race, Brigid Kosgei is still up in the leading pack.

The Kenyan is aiming for an incredible third straight London Marathon win. There are four others with her up front though so we should be in for an interesting finish.

Britain's Charlotte Purdue is going strong further back and is predicted a finish time of 2:23.37 currently - that would make her the second fastest British female marathon runner behind Paula Radcliffe.

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
Eleven-time Paralympic champion on BBC TV

When you're coming off the embankment and making the final turns, you're probably not thinking about the course record, but when you come round that last bend and see the massive clock at the end, you could see that final sprint.

She didn't need to do it but it shows the course record matters to her as well.

Manuela Schar looked on track to win pretty much from the start in the women's wheelchair race.

And she's done it in a new course record of 1:39.52 too, shaving five seconds off her old record set in 2017.

She gets a fist bump from compatriot Marcel Hug for her efforts.

Switzerland's Manuela Schar is heading for the finish line and aiming to get in under her course record of 1:39.57 in the women's wheelchair race. It's going to be tight.

Her compatriot Marcel Hug has already set a record of 1:26.27 in the men's race.

Andrew Cotter
London Marathon commentator on BBC TV

He's celebrating that because he knew he wasn't going to catch the two out in front, but there's a smile from David Weir.

You don't see it too often, but that means a great deal. That's like a reaction to winning the race that we've seen in the past.

Charlotte Purdue said during the week that her race mentality would kick in after halfway and she would start trying to pick people off.

The leading pack is a bit of a way ahead but the Briton has definitely upped her pace in the second half of the race. It could be an exciting finish for her too.

What a sprint for the line!

Brent Lakatos was pushing him all the way but David Weir has the extra push and gets across the line for third. That is his TWENTY-SECOND London Marathon. What a legend.

Image source, PA Media

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

It will be a lonely race for Shura Kitata if he can make it all the way to the finish.

He's dropped back on his own, it's like he's running a training run in his own head, but he's running at a pace that he should be able to keep up until the finish.

Former winner Daniel Romanchuck has to settle for second place in the wheelchair race this time after that dominant performance from Hug.

The American crosses the line with the clock reading 1:29.26.

Britain's David Weir is in a battle for third.

Andrew Cotter
London Marathon commentator on BBC TV

It's a new course record time for Marcel Hug. He has the title, he has the record, he really has everything in this sport.

He has, for the third time, won the London Marathon and that was a dominant performance.

Yes we will!

Switzerland's Marcel Hug barrels down the Mall to finish inside the course record of 1:28.56. We will bring you his exact time when we have it but it was around 1:26.

Image source, Getty Images

Will we see a new course record today? These are the times to beat:

• Wheelchair men: 1:28:56 (Kurt Fearnley, Australia, 2009)
• Wheelchair women: 1:39:57 (Manuela Schar, Switzerland, 2017)
• Men: 2:02:37 (Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2019)
• Women (mixed): 2:15:25 (Paula Radcliffe, England, 2003)
• Women only: 2:17:01 (Mary Keitany, Kenya, 2017)

The wheelchair races are surely wrapped up now.

Switzerland's Marcel Hug is almost two minutes clear of American Daniel Romanchuk in the men's event and fellow Swiss Manuela Schar is dominating the women's race too.

Schar's course record is one hour 39 minutes and she's on track to beat that at the moment.

Marathon world record holder Brigid Kosgei is seeking a third successive win here and is currently out in the leading pack in the elite women's race.

The last victory came in the Covid-19 2020 race, where elite runners competed on a loop instead of the traditional course.

The 27-year-old is very glad to be back on the usual route, telling BBC Sport before the race: "When you go loop, loop, loop [you do not know if] you are at the start or at the end. To see how many kilometres [you have gone] is difficult."

More than anything, though, she is glad there is a crowd to cheer her on.

"I love London," the Olympic silver medalist said.

"The way they welcome us. I like the place and they cheer us on the way.

"You cannot run without spectators. It gives us a lot of power to move. You get more energy."

Image source, Getty Images

Elizabeth: Good Luck Alex 2556 running for Blood Cancer UK.

Nicola: Good luck to all our heroes running the @LondonMarathon, external today! You’re all amazing.

Tracey: Good luck to Kate Coward and Mandy Cregan, running the marathon virtually today for brain tumour research in memory of Andy (Kate's husband)

University Challenge icon Bobby Seagull with an excellent fact.

Andrew Cotter
London Marathon commentator on BBC TV

Marcel Hug looking for his third victory, we're looking for a course record but that really would have to be fast.

Manuela Schar hasn't quite been able to break away. If she keeps going at this pace, she can do really well.

Two Swiss victories coming up and it's the Swiss against the clock.