23 April 2023 , 06:26
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The London Marathon returns to its traditional April running time on Sunday for this year's edition of the race.
More than 40,000 people will take on the 26.2 mile course in what will be the 43rd time it has been held. The wheelchair race is due to start at 8.50am, the elite women's competition will get underway at 9am and the elite men's event begins at 9.40am, with the mass participation starting at 10am.
The course has remained largely unchanged since the event was first held in 1981 and takes runners past many of the capital's most famous landmarks. Participants have a maximum of eight hours to complete the course.
The professionals can and have finished in just over two hours, while most amateurs will complete the marathon within five hours. Most of the amateur participants will have family and friends lining the course to cheer them on.
Like last year, the marathon will have three seperate start lines in St John's Park, before they come together as one route in Woolwich just under three miles in. The runners then pass the Cutty Sark around the six mile mark before heading towards Canada Water.
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They will then cross the River Thames at Tower Bridge before reaching the halfway mark soon after. London's Docklands is the next landmark, with the runners following the route of the river before cutting back north.
The 2023 London Marathon route mapThat will take them into Canary Wharf, with spectators watching on in West India Quay given two chances to see the participants. The 20-mile mark is reached near the Poplar DLR station before the runners head towards Limehouse.
Just after the 21-mile mark, the runners will head down Rainbow Row for the second successive year. It will transform a 250-metre section of the course into a party championsing inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community, with drag queens and DJs keeping spirits high.
The course then heads back to the Tower of London, which runners will pass just before the 23-mile mark. They will then run past London Bridge before St Paul's Cathedral looms large in the background to their right.
As they follow the course of the river, the runners will see London Eye looking over them before cutting away from the water in Westminster. They will then turn onto The Mall at Buckingham Palace, where the marathon will finally end.
The starting point and the finish line will likely have the best atmosphere, while Wapping, Shadwell and West India Quay will provide the most action. Following the race, runners can meet up with family and friends in the areas around Buckingham Palace.
Supporters can follow participants' progress through the official London Marathon app. They will also be able to send runners a belief booster as they make their way around the course.