21 April 2024 , 11:03
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A record number of people will take part in the London Marathon today, with over 50,000 people taking part.
They are lucky with the weather, as it is set to be a dry and bright day with temperatures up to 12C, the Met Office said.
Meteorologist Alex Deakin said: ‘If you’ve been training hard for the London Marathon, you’ve probably been training in the rain and under the influence of low pressure.’
But this weekend has actually seen fine weather for many thanks to high pressure moving in, he said.
‘That high sticks around on Sunday for the big race but it starts to edge back a bit further west which means there will be a bit of a northerly breeze in the southeast and quite a bit of cloud around as well.’
There is a chance of a few showers developing, particularly during the afternoon but also some brighter or sunny spells later.
Alex continued: ‘The sun is strong this time of year so while 13°C in the afternoon is still on the cool side during the race, if you are running once the sun pops up then it will feel pretty warm.’
There will be 30 seconds of applause before the 2024 race in memory of last year’s elite men’s race winner Kelvin Kiptum, who died in a car accident in February at the age of 24.
He set a new London Marathon record of two hours, one minute and 25 seconds last year with his third win, and set a new world record of two hours and 35 seconds in Chicago in October.
This year’s race will be 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.
David Weir, who will be racing his 25th consecutive London Marathon on Sunday and has won eight times, said he had not expected the change to happen in his lifetime.
Event director Hugh Brasher said the event will be ‘more inclusive than before’ with support for more than 200 disabled participants as well as a faith space and a quiet space for neurodivergent participants in the finish area.
There are female urinals, sanitary products available for anyone who needs them, and a family support area which includes a private breastfeeding area.
Jasmin Paris, the first woman to complete the ultra-endurance Barkley Marathons, will start the elite women’s race at 9.25am on Sunday before Dame Kelly Holmes, who won two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, starts the elite men’s race and mass event at 10am.
Among the runners will be 20 MPs and peers, the most in the event’s history, including Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
Famous faces will include comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan.
He is running for suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably, the day after starting his new Radio 2 Saturday morning show, taking over from Claudia Winkleman.
Hardest Geezer Russ Cook, who finished running the entire length of Africa on April 7, will take part in support of the Running Charity.
The 2023 marathon, the world’s biggest annual one day fundraising event, raised £63 million for thousands of charities.