London Marathon 2024: Live updates as thousands of runners pound the streets

A man has broken the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon dressed as a scientist.

Stephen Cochrane, 36, who is a university academic, said the time he was aiming to beat was 2:55:40, officially clocked in at 2:48:51.

Mr Cochrane said: “The lab coat gets sweaty, heavy and you overheat very quickly. By halfway I was really struggling.”

Simon Killen, 46, from Holbeach, broke the record of 2:57 for fastest video game character.

Mr Killen, who has run five marathons, achieved the feat dressed as Mario and set his personal best. He said: “The last couple of miles were a struggle but managed to keep the cramp at bay.”

Warren Parish, 41, from Cannock, has beaten the Guinness world record for fastest marathon dressed as a cheerleader, adding to his accolade of fastest half marathon dressed in the same outfit. Mr Parish, who has run 20 marathons, said: “It put a lot of pressure getting this one because I had the first one.”

McFly’s Harry Judd, who finished in just over three hours, has said the atmosphere for runners on the London Marathon is “amazing”.

Speaking to the BBC while running in the marathon, Judd said: “The atmosphere is amazing. The crowds are out in their thousands, and loads of amazing runners have charities donned on their t-shirts.”

He said the conditions were “pretty good”.

“I would say these are pretty good conditions for those elite athletes, which I am not one of,” he said. “It’s not too cool nor too windy.”

Thousands of people have also turned out to watch the race.

Yorkshire man Emile Cairess has run the second fastest British marathon time ever to finish third at the London Marathon in an Olympic qualifying time of 2:06.46.

Cairess became the first British man to finish on the podium at the London Marathon since Sir Mo Farah back in 2018 – with the four-time Olympic Gold medallist the only Brit to have set a faster marathon time.

Dave Lock has been running in the Marathon in fancy dress for 25 years now. Again this year he’s running for the Samaritans.

Stopping for a quick chat with the BBC on the route, he said: “I called Samaritans and they saved my life literally. My way to save my life is to keep running in the telephone literally.

“Steven, my brother, took his own life last year. He always used to come and watch around mile 24. I’m carrying a tiny horse that he gave to my daugther Isabella, who is running with me today. It’s going to be very emotional at mile 24. We want to make sure everyone has someone to call. It’s all about hope.”

The run is well underway and this is a view of the runners going over London Bridge.

The elite races are over so the focus of the BBC coverage has now turned to the runners coming through.

The television team, led by Gabby Logan, will be live on BBC1 until 2pm.

The first British woman across the line was Mhairi Maclennan.

It is the first time the Scot from Inverness has run the marathon and went across in a very speedy 2:29.

Alexander Mutiso Munyao nearly took a wrong turn at Buckingham Palace but clocked it just in time as he dashed down the Mall ahead of Bekele in second.

This year’s race is the first time that wheelchair and non-disabled athletes have received the same prize money for a marathon.

All four winners of the elite races will receive £44,000, with the runner-up receiving £24,000 and third place £18,000.

Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir sprints past Buckingham Palace to break away from Tigist Assefa, Joyciline Jepkosgei and Megertu Alemu as she takes the women’s title.

Jepchirchir’s finishing time is 2:16:15 – taking 46 seconds off the previous women’s only world record held by Mary Keitany.

Indeed all four eclipsed that 2017 time of 2:17:01.

‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook has today joined the record 50,000 people taking part in the Marathon – just two weeks after completing his epic 10,000-mile run across the entire length of Africa.

The British runner, 27, only completed his near year-long challenge – that saw him start in the continent’s most southern point, Cape Agulhas in South Africa before crossing the finish line in Ras Angela, Tunisia – on April 7.

It is not all just happening in London, a group of runners in Cardiff have organised their own virtual London Marathon around Cardiff in 2023.

The team are completing our 26.2 mile, with a mixture of running and walking in aid of Cancer Research Wales.

They say: “Your support will help make sure that the people of Wales do not have to accept cancer as a life-threatening disease. Cancer Research Wales are supporting the best cancer researchers and clinicians to make discoveries which will transform lives.” Their fundraising page can be found here.

Here is runner Nic Clarke with Cardiff Lord Mayor Cllr Bablin Molik who has turned out to support them.

The Swiss retains his title by winning in a time of 1:28:XX, with Daniel Romanchuk behind him and the veteran David Weir is third in his 25th consecutive London Marathon

It will take more than an hour for all the runners to get over the start line but many are on their way.

Here are some of the pictures so far:

Another Welsh runner to look out for is Mathew Mariani who is running for the British Heart Foundation after his daughter Esme was born with a Congenitial Heart Defect. You can read their story here.

His number is 44008.

If you want to shout out to someone running today, email cathy.owen@mediawales.co.uk.

EastEnders actors Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick will run the London Marathon this Sunday, as their on-screen characters Honey Mitchell and Jay Brown. It is part of the programme’s storyline involving Jay’s wife, Lola, who died after a brain tumour.

The characters’ marathon efforts will be filmed and feature in the soap tomorrow night.

The elite men’s race and the mass race has got underway with Dame Kelly Holmes starting the 50,000 on their way.

Runners go in different waves so it will take time for 50,000 to get over the start line.

To give you an idea of how big this event is, it will take 90 minutes for the last of the runners to cross the start line. By which point the top women will be approaching the final stages and the top men will be roughly three quarters of the way through.

The race is about to get underway and one Welsh runner to look out for is Lloyd Martin and his mum Ceri.

Lloyd, 19, from Cardiff, is making history as the youngest person with a learning disability ever to complete a marathon.

Guinness World Records created the record title for Lloyd to attempt. He is the youngest person to complete a marathon in the intellectual impairment category (LL2).

There has been tributes and a round of applause before the run starts for Kelvin Kiptum, Kenya’s world record-holding marathon runner and last year’s winner, who died in a car crash earlier this year.

The death of the 24-year-old, who was driving in western Kenya when his car rolled over, left the world of athletics in shock.

He would have been competing today and a special commemoration is planned. He was the defending champion and many had hoped he could achieve a sub two hour run.

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan is among the celebrity runners taking on the 26.2m today. “My target is to finish when the roads are still closed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Joel Dommett will run in a fish costume from his hit show the Masked Singer, he said: “My aim is to run faster as a fish than Romesh as a person.”

And actor Ruth Wilson, running with three of her brothers to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society after their dad was diagnosed two years ago, said: “It’s going to get competitive.”. You can see all the famous faces taking part here.

McFly drummer Harry Judd will be taking part too.

GB Olympic hero Dame Kelly Holmes is the official starter of the elite men’s race – which gets underway at 10am.

She has been on BBC and said: “I’ve got the honour of starting the men and the masses and I’m so glad to be back. I’ve run one… but today I’m just pushing the button. I’ll never say never about doing it again.”

The main race starts at 10am and runners have been making their way to the start line and through the security checks.

Here are some pictures of people getting ready for their big race.

The pro women are off – with perhaps the greatest field ever assembled in a female race setting out at sub 2:17 pace. Tigist Assefa, the world record, is the big favourite.

There are some unbelievable stories of courage ahead of today’s marathon. One is Mason Morgan, 28, who has terminal brain cancer and is running for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He told BBC: “I was diagnosed with cancer in September 2022. I have got terminal brain cancer and I feel that it is my duty to be the voice of young people. When I was in hospital, a lot of the time you look around and they are all older than you.

“There was no-one I could really resonate with so I have tried to be a voice for younger people. Running has helped loads with my diagnosis.

“Running is just me and the pavement and so I have got no-one else to worry about apart from myself.”

Mason was due to move to Australia last October before his shock diagnosis. He said: “I had zero symptoms. That weekend I was packing and sorting stuff out for Australia. Then I vividly remember picking up a white T-shirt and blacking out for 15-30 seconds and my housemate being in my room and asking me questions. I was like ‘what are you doing here?’ And she said ‘do you not remember I’ve been here the whole time?’

“After that I rang NHS 111, they told me to go to King’s College Hospital and I didn’t leave there for 4 weeks.”

This year’s marathon will see 90 runners attempt to set 79 new Guinness World Records – from the woman carrying a fridge for 26.2 miles to the usual mixture of elaborate fancy dress costumes, including this bus full of people.

Jackie Scully will join Frances Walker, Petr Maslov, Aileen Rice-Jones, Daniel Smith, Alex Weight, James Read, Kate Rham, Cameron Sharpe and Michael Edwards in attempting to complete the fastest marathon in a ten-person costume.

The 42-year-old will be 10 years clear from breast cancer later this year and has had a long-term aim of raising £100,000 by the decade anniversary. She has already raised over £93,000 and expects to “reset the pot” afterwards.

The wheelchair race has got underway with David Weir, an icon of the Marathon for more than two decades, one of the favourites. The 45-year-old is taking part for the 25-year in a row today.

Marcel Hug is the overwhelming favourite in the men’s race, Madison de Rozario is looking to retain her women’s title.

The TCS London Marathon App is a good way of tracking friends and family.

If you’re an Apple user, you can download it from the App Store here.

If you’re an Android user, you can download it from Google Play here.

If you’re a participant, you can use it to:

• Record your 26.2 miles
• Track other participants
• Listen to an inspiring soundtrack
• Take selfies
• Find expert tips and advice

There will be some familiar faces taking part in today’s marathon, including Formula 1 reporter Natalie Pinkham.

She is running for the Samaritans in memory of her close friend Caroline Flack. She told BBC this morning: “I am honoured to be running today. They are an amazing charity. When you are at a low ebb everything rallies and carries you through. It is an exciting day and I am very nervous.”

The nerves will be setting in now with the wheelchair races kicking off at 9:05am, the women’s elite race at 9:25am and the men’s elite race and mass start at 10am.

The race will follow its normal route around London, starting in Greenwich and ending on the Mall. It will pass some of London’s most famous sites, including Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace.

The route has remained largely unchanged since the inaugural event in 1981.

You can watch all the coverage from the comfort of your sofa.

TV coverage begins at 8:30am on BBC1, before switching to BBC2 at 2pm. Highlights will be on BBC2 at 6pm.

You can find more information here.