There will be a familiar face to greet the 56,000 runners during Sunday’s London marathon, just when their legs are heavy and their mouths desert dry. Because, at mile 23, the former England footballer John Barnes will be handing out drinks and revelling in a near-perfect day with the race expected to break the world record for the most finishers and his former club Liverpool likely to win the Premier League.
“It’s going to be great,” he says. “I’ll be handing out Lucozade bottles at mile 23 as they’re the longest serving partner of the London Marathon, having worked with them for 24 years. From a charity point of view the race raises a lot of money, and for promoting fitness and mental health it’s also fantastic. And hopefully we’ll have 56,000 finishers, which will break the record of 55,646 held by New York.”
