Image source, BBc

Eliud Kipchoge is racing the clock rather than mortal men now.

The Kenyan glances over his shoulder into the vacuum that has opened up behind him.

He is currently on target for the second-fastest marathon of all time. The course record is already his, set in 2016.

Callum Hawkins has given us his big tunes to power through 26.2 miles.

It starts off with a bit of Earth Wind and Fire to put a spring in your step, but very quickly turns rockier than the Arizona countryside that the Scot trains in.

And Mosinet Geremew is the last man to tap out.

Eliud Kipchoge strides into clear air.

A mile and a quarter to go. And that is surely the last they see of the great man...

Eliud Kipchoge is cantering along the Embankment, turning up the pace on Mule Wasihun and Mosinet Geremew.

So far they are sticking with him...

No! Wasihun hits a wall and is suddenly heading backwards.

Down to two.

Callum Hawkins has overtaken a tiring Daniel Wanjiru. That means that he should be good for a top-10 finish.

Mo Farah toiling in sixth or so.

Then, with two miles left, there were three.

Eliud Kipchoge's pace has accounted for Tola Shura Kitata.

Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun remain in the equation.

Image source, dfdfdf

Scotland's Callum Hawkins is in a scrap for 10th place with Italy's Yassine Rachik.

Just like Charlotte Purdue, he knows that claiming 10th will count as a Olympic qualifying standard if his time does not do the trick on it's own.

Eliud Kipchoge is the man to beat.

The Kenyan kingpin is through 35km or 21.7 miles in old money.

He has Ethiopian trio Mosinet Geremew, Mule Wasihun and Tola Shura Kitata on his shoulder.

His would be a massive scalp for any of them.

Kitata looks like he is showing the strain most.

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

Image source, Reuters

Well done Charlotte. She's exhausted but she will be very happy with qualification for the Olympics after that top 10 finish. Go and get a rest.

Charlotte Purdue finishes in 2:25:37 - which makes her the third-best ever British woman of all time and secures her a place at the World Championships in Doha.

It is also inside the qualifying time for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

A superb run!

Charlotte Purdue is into the Mall. We think she is positioned 10th!

We are waiting for Charlotte Purdue. If the Briton comes home in the top 10 it will count as an Olympic qualifying standard and should be a pretty unarguable case for a ticket to Tokyo 2020.

Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot trots home in second place. It is a role reversal from last year when she beat Kosgei to take the crown.

Ethiopia's Roza Dereje is third.

We are hearing from the BBC's resident number-cruncher Mark Butler that the second half of that marathon was run in 66:42 - the fastest ever for the women's race.

Brigid Kosgei rounds the corner into the mall and has a processional final stroll past the grandstand.

The 25-year-old Kenyan sets a new personal best as she adds the London crown to her Chicago win.

Image source, d

Brigid Kosgei is slowing slightly, but she has done more damage to the opposition than she has to herself and that is what counts.

The end is a less than a mile away now.

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

It looks hard for Mo Farah to make inroads into the leading four because of the pace they are moving at.

It's hard when you can't see the runners up ahead of you. Mo was on a twisty section of the course and by the time he comes around his corner, they will be around the next corner. It's easier when you can see the gap.

Mo Farah is gritting his teeth, the pain starting to show on his face as he passes the 18-mile marker dedicated to Stephen Lawrence, the teenager murdered in a racist attack in London in 1993.

Last September would have been his 44th birthday.

A 5:05 mile through the 24-mile mark from Brigid Kosgei.

After a slow start, she is shredding the second half.

Vivian Cheruiyot is a dot in the distance.

It will take a Devon Loch tie-up from Kosgei to lose this.