London Marathon 2024: Thousands start gruelling 26-mile course – as supporters line streets & cops form ring of steel
A RECORD 50,000 runners have hit the ground as the mammoth London Marathon begins – after police formed a ring of steel.
The 26.2 mile route is the same as in recent years, starting at Blackheath and ending at The Mall – taking in Big Ben, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace.
The BBC is facing an epic schedule shake-up as it broadcasts the whopping seven-and-a-half hours of coverage.
Temperatures of up to 13C are predicted – and while rain is not expected in the capital, a northerly breeze and quite a lot of cloud is.
Among the participants this year are Jason Byrd, who is carrying a washing machine on his back.
Other costumes include an aeroplane, a tap, a giraffe and a bus.
Police cycling units have been spotted across the route in a bid to keep order, while a ring of steel fencing protects racers.
Chief Superintendent Louise Puddefoot, who leads policing in London this weekend, said the Met has been working closely with the event organisers, the event security team, British Transport Police and City of London Police to plan for the day.
She continued: “People can expect to see a visible and engaging policing presence across London, including at transport hubs and other busy and crowded areas. This is a whole policing effort with lots of our specialist officers on hand to support as needed.
“Any attempt to disrupt the marathon will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.
“Where any protest crosses the line into criminality, we will respond quickly to remove and arrest activists as appropriate, and return things to normal as soon as possible so everyone can enjoy the event.”
The elite and wheelchair races set off at staggered start times, with the wheelchair field having started at 9.05am BST. The elite women’s race started at 9.25am, while the elite men took off at 10am.
Runners in the mass participation race – which includes members of the public and celebrities – also started at 10am in waves until 11.30am.
Elite male athletes tend to run the marathon in a little over two hours.
Elite women will finish in around two hours 22 minutes.
However, the London Marathon of full of runners of all ages and abilities – with the ballot for 2025 already open.
Last year’s runners finished with an average time of 4 hours and 6 minutes – an improvement of 12 minutes from 2022.
The average time for women is 4hr 57min 26sec. For men the average time is 4hrs 21min 9sec.
Among the celebrities taking part are ‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook, comedian – who is making his Marathon debut.
Romesh Ranganathan talked about his preparation to Runners World saying that “running always kicks your a***”.
He added: “It’s easy to take up; it’s really hard to master.
“That’s what stand-up is like: it’s easy to start, but very difficult to get really good at.
“And I think that’s what running is like: every time you think you’ve cracked it, the god of running goes, ‘I’m going to give you something else to kick your a***’.”
Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to take part in the 2024 London Marathon.
Appearing on Geraint Thomas‘ podcast he talked about his marathon experience.
Sir Jim said: “I did London last year. I did four and a half. I’m doing London again this year.”
Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick have already run the London Marathon but are doing it for a second time for an EastEnders storyline.
Their characters Honey and Jay are running in memory of Jay’s wife Lola who died of a brain tumour in a storyline from 2023.
After revealing her diagnosis with ulcerative colitis in December 2023, The Only Way Is Essex’s Chloe Meadows will be taking on the marathon in support of Crohn’s and Colitis UK.
Why is the London Marathon 26.2 miles long?
There is a reason why the London Marathon is 26.2 miles long.
The event is held in the UK’s capital every year.
The London Marathon is 42km but it hasn’t always been this long.
It is the second-largest annual road race in the UK after the Great North Run in Newcastle.
There are a huge 50,000 runners that take part in the event every year.
The distance for the race is related to ancient Greek mythology, the Olympics and the British Royal Family.
Marathons have ancient roots dating back to 776 B.C. when it was inspired by a messenger who raced from the site of Marathon to Athens.
The messenger was carrying news of a Greek victory over an invading Persian army in 490 B.C.
They ran a distance of 40km (24.8miles), and upon their arrival, they collapsed and died.
To commemorate the run, the distance was set at 40km at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.
However, the distance was extended in the 1908 Games in London to 26.2miles which is 42km.
It is alleged that the change was made to accommodate the British Royal Family.
Queen Alexandra, the wife of then-reigning monarch Edward VII, is believed to have requested the change.
It is claimed that she wanted the race to start on the lawns of Windsor Castle so the royal children could watch from their windows.
It is also reported that she asked for the race to end in front of the Royal Box at the White City Stadium.
The new distance happened to be 26.2miles, and in 1921, it became the standardised length of the race.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin gave an insight into what the London Marathon 2024 competitors can expect today.
Speaking yesterday, he said: “If you’ve been training hard for the marathon you’ve probably been training in the rain and under the influence of low pressure.
“Our weather patterns are shifting this weekend and this high moving in will bring many of us a fine day on Saturday.
“Now that high is sticking around for Sunday and the big race but as it starts to edge back a bit further west, it does mean across the southeast there will be a bit of a northerly breeze and quite a lot of cloud around.”
It’s forecast to be about 8C when the marathon kicks off at 10am.
Temperatures are set to climb 1C an hour until it hits 13C around 3pm.
Ch Supt Puddefoot said: “Once again London will play host to some of the most iconic annual events in the sporting calendar this weekend.
“We are looking forward to the internationally important London Marathon, as well as the children’s mini marathon, and will have experienced policing teams on duty throughout.
“We have been working closely with the event organisers, the event security team, British Transport Police and City of London Police to plan for the day.
“People can expect to see a visible and engaging policing presence across London, including at transport hubs and other busy and crowded areas. This is a whole policing effort with lots of our specialist officers on hand to support as needed.
“Any attempt to disrupt the marathon will be dealt with swiftly and robustly.
“Where any protest crosses the line into criminality, we will respond quickly to remove and arrest activists as appropriate, and return things to normal as soon as possible so everyone can enjoy the event.
“With a number of road closures in place, those attending are being asked to check the TfL and official London Marathon websites in advance, in order to plan their journeys.
“Planned road closures can be viewed here: https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/the-event/road-closures.
“This weekend is also going to be very busy with two FA cup semi-finals and other matches and we will have a significant number of officers policing the football, to prevent crime and any disorder and provide a visible presence.
“As always we ask people to remain vigilant and report anything that seems suspicious or doesn’t feel right to police, whether in the area or by calling us.
“Despite lots of officers policing various events this weekend, I want to assure you we have plenty more to carry on with our day-to-day policing across London.”