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‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook, the endurance athlete who recently ran the length of Africa, will be among the record number of people taking part in tomorrow’s London Marathon.
More than 50,000 – elite and charitable runners – are expected to take to the streets of the capital on what is forecast to be a dry and bright Sunday with cool temperatures of 12C.
This year’s race will mark the first time that wheelchair and non-disabled athletes have received the same prize money for a marathon.
A world record 578,000 people entered the ballot for this year’s event, making it the most popular marathon in the world.
There will be a host of celebrities including EastEnders cast members Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick who will run as part of a storyline in which their characters Honey and Jay run in memory of Jay’s late wife, Lola (played by Danielle Harold), who died of a brain tumour in 2023.
ICYMI: Emile Cairess hopes to qualify for Paris Olympics at London Marathon
Emile Cairess hopes he can follow training partner Phil Sesemann on the next step of their journey by also qualifying for the Olympics when he tackles the London Marathon again on Sunday.
Sesemann secured his place on the British squad for Paris after running inside the qualifying standard of two hours, eight minutes and four seconds at the Seville Marathon in February.
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Rosie Jones says she’s overcome ‘internalised ableism’ to take on London Marathon
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Runner reaches Grenfell Tower after 227-mile challenge to help disaster victims
A runner who completed more than a marathon a day in support of a law change to help victims of major scandals has crossed the finish line of his charity trek at Grenfell Tower with a bereaved family member by his side.
Mik Parkin completed his 227-mile journey to west London on Saturday, joined by the uncle of a 12 year-old girl who died in the 2017 Grenfell fire.
The eight-day run had begun at Anfield in Liverpool and took in the Hillsborough memorial in Sheffield on the 35th anniversary of that disaster.
The charity trek aimed to raise awareness of the Hillsborough Law, which campaigners have said could make a difference to victims who often endure long-running fights for justice in the wake of major disasters.
Manfred Ruiz, known as Manny, took part in the first and last stages of the run, in memory of his niece Jessica Urbano Ramirez, and said it was “a pleasure” to be able to support Mr Parkin, praising him for his efforts.
Mr Ruiz told the PA news agency: “What he’s done this week has just been amazing.”
Actor Christopher Eccleston will be happy to ‘just get round’ course
Actor Christopher Eccleston says he will be “happy just to get round” the marathon course.
Mr Eccleston is running for the Big Issue, which helps homeless people.
“I’ve just turned 60 and my plan is to run the London Marathon for the Big Issue,” he told the publication
“The last one I ran was when I was 50. So my plan is to run at 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100. And then I’ll retire!”
Centrepoint wishes runners good luck
Homelessness charity Centrepoint has wished its runners good luck ahead of tomorrow’s marathon.
“The team have spent countless hours training for this moment and have now raised over £40,000!
“Thank you for all your hard work!”
Father says daughter’s cancer treatment ‘million times harder’ than marathon
A father running the TCS London Marathon to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity said his young daughter’s cancer treatment was “a million times harder” than tackling 26.2 miles.
Sky, now aged four, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a tumour in her brain, in April 2021 after her parents noticed she lost her balance frequently and was not meeting some developmental milestones.
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Romesh Ranganathan given ‘shameless’ gift by Rob Beckett to wear in marathon
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan was presented with a giraffe costume to wear during the London Marathon on his new BBC Radio 2 show.
Mr Ranganathan, 46, who is running on Sunday, told his first celebrity guest Rob Beckett that the fellow comedian was “shameless” in his choice of gift.
Mr Beckett’s upcoming stand-up tour is called Giraffe and to promote it he wore an inflatable giraffe costume to the Brit Awards last month.
The 38-year-old told Ranganathan: “I’ve got you a present Rom, to say well done on your new show and it’s just nice to get someone a present.”
Ranganathan responded: “It’s a giant giraffe adult costume.
“Let’s get to the bottom of that. I mean, it’s just absolutely shameless by you. You knew you’re gonna get a plug for your tour.”
Prostate Cancer UK wishes runners good luck
Prostate Cancer UK has wished its marathon runners good luck ahead of tomorrow’s race.
“Wishing all our wonderful @LondonMarathon runners a massive GOOD LUCK for tomorrow,” the charity wrote on X.
“Over 190 of you are helping us make huge strides, by raising vital funds which we can invest in lifesaving research and services to support men living with prostate cancer.”
ICYMI: Man training for London Marathon with fridge on his back stopped by police
A man who hopes to break the world record for running the London Marathon with a fridge-in-tow was stopped by the police whilst training for his challenge.
According to the runner, Daniel Fairbrother, 34, was stopped by police officers in Stevenage after they accused him of stealing the fridge.
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ICYMI: Kelvin Kiptum’s story had barely started – his tragic death robs athletics of an extraordinary talent
In the hunt to find sporting meaning during the strange supporter absence of the 2020 Covid pandemic summer, the Brussels Diamond League opted to stage a rare assault on the one-hour world record.
Although 13 men lined up on the King Baudouin Stadium startline, the race was little more than a one-man time trial geared solely around Britain’s four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah. Everyone else was there to aid his cause.
Among the faceless dozen was an unknown Kenyan. At that point in his career, Kelvin Kiptum’s international pedigree was almost non-existent.
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Source: independent.co.uk
