Which means we’re all done here. Thanks all for your company and comments – enjoy the rest of the weekend. Peace out.
Here’s Sean Ingle’s report of a sensational set of races.
Ah man, Ralphie, Luke and Sophie are now with Gabby, and how great that is to see. They talk about what a happy place GOSH is, and yeah, support it.
Jess Ennis-Hill visits Luke and Sophie, whose son Huxley was born with undiagnosed down’s syndrome and passed away aged just three days. They then had another baby, Ralphie, who had leukaemia, and both boys were treated at Great Ormond Street; he was discharged in March, and I’m sorry but I’m in absolute bits here. Luke’s best mate Sam is running the marathon for GOSH and the cancer centre it’s hoping to build.
l Jeanette is now on the Rainbow Road section of the course which celebrates LGBTQIA+ folk. The increased inclusion is so uplifting.
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Mo Farah is with Gabby and says he’s had great support in London over the years and it was amazing today. His training was going well and he was confident of doing between 2.05 and 2.07 but you never know, he gave it his all, and his body didn’t respond when he asked it to. He knows it’s time to call it a day and as he was going along the course, part of him wanted to cry and even though it was pouring with rain, people were coming out of their houses, and it’s “quite emotional”. I’ll bet.
We cut to see young Mo running the mini-marathon and had someone told him at that age he’d be Olympic champ, he’d never have believed them. As he got older, his mindset changed, but he wants kids to know that if you graft anything is possible and he’d like to be able to give back to the younger generation. He never thought he could challenge the Kenyans and Ethiopians, but living and training with them showed him he could, and he’ll finish competing with the Great North Run in September. He’s looking forward to spending time with his family, and showing younger athletes what can be achieved with hard work. Effort, Mo.
Also going on:
BBC are playing Opus’ Live is Life, so of course it’s incumbent on me to stick this up.
Yesss, here’s Sifan! “It was really amazing,” she says. She never thought she could win, so can’t believe that she did. The crowd are amazing, she says, and every single kilometre she was grateful to be there. She’s so happy and it’s beautiful to see; she explains she has a pre-existing hip problem, hence the stretching, and because she was fasting she didn’t practise so didn’t know where to stop for drinks. At 20km she felt she wasn’t tired and was thinking about getting experience for her next marathon and at every moment she was grateful. She didn’t have confidence because she didn’t practise drinking and she found it really tough; she realised she didn’t have to have as much as she should. Living in the States, she used to set her alarm to watch this race, and now she’s won it she’ll never forget it. She’d been told she’d hurt, but felt much better after 35km than she thought, and when she saw the line she thought it that really it?! She needs to decide what race she’ll run at the Paris Olympics next summer but she’s so grateful. What an incredible racer and lovely person.
Kiptum’s time was 2:01.25. Kipchoge’s course record was 2:02:37, which he obliterated, but the world record, which could be his one day, remains Kipchoge’s 2:01:09.
I’d love to hear from Sifan Hassan – hopefully we get an interview soon.
“Guy Hornsby is right,” emails Krishnamoorthy V, “the right word to use is ‘insane’. I once ran a 10km run in a small town called Dolni Lohta in Czech Republic where the track was 5km up and 5 km back on the same way back. I was on the 2.5 km level when the leading pack of Kenyans passed me (in the opposite direction). By the time I finished they had collected their prize and were back at their hotel.”
Now here comes Farah, coming around the final corner, with someone on his shoulder – it’s Phil Sesserman, of GB, who blazes past, and now Farah finishes his final marathon. What a career!
Paula Radcliffe was saying earlier that London is thought to be a slow course but isn’t, and we’ve seen that today. Cairess finishes, bending over to expectorate, and he’ll be delighted with his sixth place, with beating Mo Farah too.
Kelvin Kiptum, though; Sifan Hassan, though. Our races have delivered and then some.
Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya comes through in a distant second; he and Kiptum embrace. Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, the world champ, takes third, while Emile Cairess of GB, also making his marathon debut, is now sixth. What a run that is from him!
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We’re still waiting for confirmation as to the time…
Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya wins the men's London Marathon in 2:01.25, a new course record and the second-fastest time ever!
That is incredible! It’s only his second-ever race at the distance, only Eliud Kipchoge has run quicker than him, and we are witnessing the birth of a new star!
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Is Kiptum slowing? I can only imagine the pain he’s in, but I don’t think he’s going to break the world mark; he veers to the wrong side of the road, following the bike, which costs him a couple of seconds, and yup, the world mark has gone. The course record, though, is annihilated. Go on Kelvin!
Kiptum ran 60.15 for the second half of the race in Valencia, the fastest such time ever; he looks set to break that here, dipping under an hour, which is just disgraceful behaviour. I can barely believe what I’m seeing!
Kiptum is really punishing the course now, sprinting to victory. The course record looks his, and even if he misses the world record, he’s going to bestow upon us one of the greatest times we’ve ever seen. Come on Kelvin!
He’s got the course record well within his sights too, and how quickly he destroyed the field was very impressive. At 40km, he’s 1.55:13 and the target is 2.02.37. He’s not actually that far off the world record, we learn; if he can find a serious finish, the time we’re talking is Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:01:09.
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Kiptum is primarily self-coached, we learn, as he closes in on the tape. At just 23, he’s got plenty of time to improve himself too.
Sam Harrison of GB has smashed her PB by six minutes and is also tearful after crossing the line.
Kelvin Kiptum us still gobbling up the ems and he speeds towards the end. He’s not going as quickly as before, but he looks relaxed and is going to win by a long way in a decent time.
Andrew Cotter thinks that was the greatest marathon race he’s ever seen, and he should know. Early doors, Hassan was stopping to stretch, and it looked like all she’d achieve by continuing was unnecessary pain and potential damage. Er, perhaps not!
Megertu is in tears and understandably so – whatever the reason. The emotional dump of finishing a marathon, of finishing a race, of not winning, must be immense.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands wins her debut marathon in 2:18.33!
That is absolutely incredible! She trained through Ramadan, looked like she was going to drop out with injury, was way behind, worked her way back, and has now out-kicked the field! Megertu of Ethiopia is second, Jepchirchir of Kenya third. Wow wow wow!
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Hassan goes! No one responds, and in her but marathon she is going to win! WOW!
But now Megertu leads, Jepchirchir on her shoulder, and does Hassan, 5000 and 10000 gold medalist in Tokyo, have it left?
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Hassan is a track specialist, so should have the quickest finish, but she’s not used to the distance so who knows if she’s got it in her legs? 385 yards to go, and and Jepchirchir looks the strongest…
Chepkirui has dropped off, so we’re down to four. Jepchirchir leads, Megertu next, then Hassan, then Yehualaw … and Megertu goes! Yehualaw can’t respond, which tells you what I can tell, but Jepchirchir and Hassan are right there!
Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum, who won in Valencia with the world’s fastest debut and fastest second half of a marathon, is way out in front now. Barring disaster, the race is in the bag.
There’ll be no world record today – the desire to win has trumped the need for speed. So we’ve still got our leading five and just over a mile to go; Hassan will fancy this, hard, and it’s hard not to root for her given the way she’s fought her way back into contention.
Jepchirchir drifts across to the drinks table and Hassan runs a few extra metres misjudging what she needed to do to get one and narrowly avoiding a motorbike. But she’s back with the group, offers Megertu a sip – refused – and the mind games are in progress.
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“The speed of the elite runners is insane,” tweets Guy Hornsby. “It’s hard to comprehend how quick they run, especially given the sheer distance covered. They run a 10k as quickly as I run a 5km! What a run from Cairess today too, he’d have grown up watching Mo.”
Yup, one nails miles after an hour. I’d be struggling to keep up after 400m.
Kiptum is running strongly, but he turns to check the extent of his lead; behind him, Cairess has left Farah now, and looks a lock to finish as the fastest Briton.
Back with the men, Kiptum has escaped the pack. Kepruto, last year’s winner, has gone with him, sort of – he’s 30-405m behind – and we learn that Kiptum raced like this in Valencia a few months ago, hanging in there to win his first race over the distance.
I fancy Yehualaw, who looks to be strongest, but I’m guessing based on appearances. Hassan is now ahead of Chepkirui though, and what a story it’d be if she could see this out.
Go on Sifan! Hassan has caught the leaders! Not that long ago, we wondered if she’d drop out to save her season but now, running her first marathon, she’s in with a chance of winning and if she’s still with them with a mile to go, she’ll be a serious threat. Jepchirchir leads, Yehualaw follows; Megertu and Chepkirui are also still there. Jepchirchir, then, ups the pace, and presumably woulbn’t mind running the finish out of Hassan’s legs. Three miles to go, though; it’s on1
Cairess is ahead of Farah now, who’s trying to come back at him; they’ve just passed an ice cream van, which must’ve been tempting. The leaders have 8.6 miles to go and Kiptum still lead – h’es taken his hat off – and behind him are Tola, Kamworor, Tura and Legese – at least, I can’t quite see everyone.
Yehualaw looks strong and knows she can do it; Paula reckons it’ll be her or Jepchirchir who make a break, as Megertu and Chepkirui are hanging on.
The leading women: Yehualaw, the defending champ, Megertu, Jepchirchir and Chepkirui; Hassan is perhaps nine second behind, and the pace in front is slowing. Can she catch them? Will someone see her coming and stamp on the gas?
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The leading women look a little bedraggled now, just a little more hunched in gait, but they’re still ploughing through. Farah, meantime, has Emile Cairess for company now, so they’ll duel for best British finisher.
Ah, there’s the great man! Bekele is still hanging onto the leading group, while Farah is a fair way behind now but still moving pretty quickly behind a pacemaker.
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In the men’s race, Kiptum still leads, but he’s got six men behind him, among them Kipruto and Legese. The pace is pretty quick, but that might change is the race and rain take their tolls.
There are four leading now: Jepchirchir of Kenya, Yehualaw of Ethiopia, Megertu of Ethiopia and one more. I can’t quite see who, but it’s not Dibaba, who’s off the front with Korir.
Sifan Hassan, what a woman. She’s within 10m of the leading group now, Korir dropping off, and they increase the pace because the last thing they want is Hassan’s pace involved in the finish.
We’re halfway in the men’s race with Kelvin Kiptum leading. Geoffrey Kamworor is second followed by Amos Kipruto, Birhanu Legese, Tamirat Tola and Leul Gebresilase following.
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It’s boiling!
Ah, Korir is back with the leading group.
Back with the women’s race, the pace is hot. Jepchirchir is pushing the pace while Hassan, still alone, has picked up the pace and is eating up the distance to the leading group. It’s amazing really. Also in the leading group are Megertu, Dibaba and Yehualaw, among others; Ayana has been dropped.
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Madison de Rozario of Australia wins the women's wheelchair race!
Manuela Schar of Swtzerland is second!
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The tension is awesome here as we wait for someone to make a move. De Rosario hits the front and she leads by a length! Schar comes again…
We’re on Birdcage Walk now, Debrunner looking over her shoulder, and they’re jockeying for position a little. “This is where it all gets very stressful,” says Tanni, noting that all four riders have good sprint finishes, and reckons that you probably don’t want to lead, just sit off the lead.
We’re into the final stages of the women’s wheelchair, our leading four scooting along Victoria Embankment. You can feel the athletes building for the end now – they’re slowing a little – and the group is separated by about two metres, Debrunner in the last followed by Rosario followed by Scaroni followed by Schar.
In the women’s race, the lead group is smaller now. Jepchirchir leads with Dibaba, Megertu and Yehualaw also involved; they’ve dropped Korir. Meanwhile, David Weir finishes fifth in the men’s wheelchair.
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Jetze Plat of the Netherlands – still very young in his marathon career – takes second in the men’s wheelchair race. He looks pretty happy with that.
In the women’s wheelchair race, it’s still that four tightly bunched, but now it’s Debrunner leading with Schar, who tried to escape, at the back of the group.
Marcel Hug of Switzerland wins the men's wheelchair race!
That was brilliant – he destroyed the field early doors and screamed away from them.
Marcel Hug turns into the Mall and he’s absolutely nailing this….
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“Shout out to my mum please,” emails Sophie Weller. “Sara Weller is doing the marathon with an assisted wheelchair place and her amazing support-runners. Hoping to make it in less than five and half hours, and has raised over £150k for the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Must Stop campaign! Hooray for the marathon organisers for opening up assisted spaces to give the disabled community more opportunity to get stuck in too!”
Believe! Go well everyone.
Radcliffe wondered if Hassan has a hip flexor issue, and as we see her from behind we see she’s not running evenly. Sahe’s only 10s or so off the pace, so being the competitor that she is, she’ll still think she can win, you just hope she’s not damaging her prospects for the season.
Hug, meantime, is bousting along Embankment, Thames to his left. He’s so so good.
Schar tried to break the group in the women’s wheelchair race, but failed and it’s still the four – her, Roasario, Scaroni and Debrunner – together. It’s really boiling and, if we’re lucky, we might get ourselves a sprint finish.
“I hope everyone out today has a superb time,” says Bill Preston, “and that everyone watching does, too! Are humans meant to go that fast? 26 miles in two hours is phenomenal, and I’m pleased that people do! There’s a massive riff of my chums the Running Punks out on the course today, backed up by a proper party squad! Having had the pleasure being in events with them, and attending gigs and music festivals, I wish them all the best today. A wonderful crowd to be with, and it’s so positive!”
Back with the men, Farah is dropping off the pace a bit but it’s quick at the front, Bekele Legese, Tola, Tura, Kipruto and others in the leading group. They pass the Cutty Sark, where everyone is now umbrellad up, just over the half-hour mark.
Hassan is running more freely now, which makes Radcliffe wonder if it’s cramp. The leading group are only 10-20m ahead, so she’ll still feel like she can get back in amongst it, but I hope she’s not hurting herself.
“Recently retired pro-cyclist Alex Dowsett – former world hour record holder and Giro d’Italia stage winner – and his partner, Chanel, are running in support of their Little Bleeders charity,” emails Phil, “benefitting kids with haemophilia.”
Hassan is holding her side and, with the summer schedule to come, Steve Cram reckons she’d be silly to put that in jeopardy. You can see how this race is intoxicating though, and as I type she stops, stretches her quad, and continues. But as we go in close, we can see her grimace; she stops again, stretches, and surely she’ll call it quits shortly.
Schar leads from Scaroni in the women’s wheelchair; four have broken away, the third Roasrio and the fourth, dropping off a little, is Debrunner the defending champ.
Again: if anyone needs someone to talk to, there’ll be many more people happy to listen than you think, I promise. My email is at the top of the page.
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“My Uncle Arun is running dressed as a book (Boy with a Topknot) for Rethink Mental Health,” emails Cat Baker-Gomes. “Absolute legend.”
It’s raining a bit now, which is suboptimal, and we cut to Farah who’s 19s off the leading group. He looks comfortable and has, Radcliffe tells us, been training at the pace of those at the front.
I too am at that stage in life where I’m making healthy switches. I can’t eat vegetables but can chuck any drink past the tastebuds, so green juice; sauerkraut and kimchi every day, before I eat anything else; nuts; loads of water; big glugs of olive oil (diluted to be palatable); cider vinegar in water before eating; as little sugar as possible. Feel free to send in your own hacks!
Our @Flora Marathon ambassadors are just Wright Wright Wright (Wright). Mark, along with his brother and parents are #makinghealthyswitches today. Good luck guys. https://t.co/X4fZwY8bJi
— David Fraser (@DavidEFraser) April 23, 2023
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In the women’s race, Korir leads from Dibaba from Jepchirchir from Megertu from Chepkirui. Hassan is still with the leading group, just about, but she doesn’t look that comfy and is learning how to take on board fluids as we speak. We see her drop off, sort herself, then catch up again … and she looks a bit uncomfortable as a consequence.
Email! “My lovely friend, a young father, is running today his first full marathon raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital,” says Krishnamoorthy V. “Youngsters like him give me hopes for a better future.”
Manuela Schar leads the women’s race but not by much, with Scaroni and two others just behind. They’ve been sharing leading duties, but Schar seems to be upping the pace.
Hug is still out on his own and well over halfway – he’s been going 53 mins or so. He’s doing three-minute miles and though his hand-pace has slowed slightly, he’s looking good. The second half of the race, though, tends to be a little slower.
It’s Dibaba at the front urging the pacemakers to give it a little extra while, back at Blackeath, the mass start is under way. Good luck people.
Back with the women’s race, they’ve slowed a little but are still in decent shape; all the usual suspects are involved.
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One of my best and oldest mates, Littledave, is running today for World Jewish Relief. It’s a great charity, so please do toss him a few coins.
Farah is in the lead pack, but sitting at the back; at the front are three pacemakers.
Slowly and with feeling, Eliud gets us going!
Our men’s race will shortly get under way…
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David, 90-years-old, is our oldest competitor, and he’s been running these races since 1982; what a man. Lana, meanwhile, is 18 and one day – so our youngest racer – and she was convinced to be here by her parents, who’ve done six marathons between them.
Mo Farah looks nicely relaxed, and what a symbol he’s been and still is. The pace today will, presumably, be too hot for him, but he’s earned the right to a love-accumulating saunter.
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The Eastenders contingent.
Eliud Kipchoge is happy to be in London celebrating with the community. London feels like home, he says – he holds the course record – and he’s looking forward to the race.
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My days, Marcel Hug is some athlete. He’s already broken the field and is away on his own while, behind him, Daniel Romanchuk is more concerned with what’s behind than what’s in front. In co-comms, Tanni Grey-Thompson explains that when it rains, you get grit washed into the road, which can lead to punctures, but hopefully everyone will be alright.
George is running for St Nicholas Hospice Care in Bury Sy Edmonds, while Georgie is running for British Liver Trust in memory of her mum who died in the summer – she wants to highlight the symptoms as she was ill without realising it. And finally, there’s Paul Evans trying to break the record for fastest marathon dressing as a knight – it’s St George’s Day, he’s in boots – and he’s raising money for Ambitious About Autism.
Gabby Logan is chatting to Hugh Brasher, the race organiser, about Extinction Rebellion, whose issue he accepts is important. He’s been talking to them for months, likewise Just Stop Oil, and he’s sure it’ll be amazing day. He makes it clear that he believes climate change is an important issue – one about which we should be talking – and he says this is the first time finishers can plant trees instead of getting a t-shirt and those who’ve travelled from abroad have paid a carbon offset tax. He’s also really excited about the women’s race – aren’t we all!
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There’s a bit of rain in the air now as we cut back to the women’s race, and Hassan is in the leading group but a bit off to the side – apparently following the blue line which gives the route. There are, I think 14 of them in total.
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Back to the men’s, Hug is putting it on now, followed by Platt – those two may be working together to try and break up the field – with Suzuki and Romanchuk behind them.
In the men’s wheelchair race, a group of six have broken away, led of course by Hug – and David Weir is also in that group. In the women’s, meanwhile, Scaroni leads.
Brigid Kosgei pulls out of the race
Ach, what a shame that is – but credit to her for turning up and giving it a go. In front of her, meanwhile, they’re running at roughly world-record pace, the plan to punish the second half of the race.
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Brigid Kosgei, the world record holder, appears to be limping a bit, which doesn’t seem ideal. I imagine she’ll settle into things, but on the other hand winning in those circumstances seems a bit of a stretch.
Ian Beale!
They’re on the line and Genzaebe Dibaba of Ethiopia waves to the crowd, then Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands and all the rest, including Yalemzerf Yehualaw, last year’s winner. AND WE’RE OFF!
BBC are calling the women’s race the greatest marathon field ever put together; Steve Cram widens that to distance race. And we can see our racers warming up; we’re almost ready to go.
The rain, says Andrew Cotter, is forecast for around 10am, and makes things much trickier for our wheelchair racers. But hopefully it holds off – showers look possible but not imminent in north London, for what that’s worth.
The biggest challenge to competing in Boston then here, we’re told, is getting the chairs over, as the stress isn’t on weight-bearing muscles. It’s more similar, to cycling than running, and in the meantime, Tomoki Suzuki of Japan leads.
Marcel Hug is a huge favourite to win the men’s race – he destroyed the field in Boston last week, in a record time – but the women’s is more open.
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The wheelchair race is away
There’s a horn, a big cheer, and away we go!
Our wheelchair racers are primed…
Goodness me, we’re talking to Major Sally Orange, who’s run seven marathons on seven continents, the fastest marathon dressed as a piece of fruit, and is today running dressed as a cracker because she’s crackers about mental health. I cannot stress this enough, but if you’ve got something bothering you, talk to someone. My email address is at the top of this page, should anyone want a non-judgmental, non-partisan ear.
Ah, here’s Ingrid Kristiansen (née Christensen) – for those of us who grew up in the 80s, a legend of this race in particular – she won it four times – and distance-running in general. We see footage of her in 1985, breaking the record, and somehow the tone of it puts me in mind of this.
It’s absolutely mad, is this.
We’re now watching a thing about Couch to 5k, which I heartily recommend – it’s changed the life of a few people I know. If you’re looking for a shove to get you out there, download it.
We’re doing alright so far…
Paula Radcliffe thinks we might get a record in the women’s race. She thinks the course is faster than people think it is, but the kind of time we get depends on how tactically people run.
It’s a shame there’s no Eilish McColgan, who’s had to withdraw injured. Here 10,000m win at the Commonwealth Games was one of my performances of 2022 and I was looking forward to seeing her over the longer distance. Next year…
I’m a mess already. Go on everyone!
Marcus Mumford, meanwhile, is running for Grenfell Foundation, while Adele Roberts who’s with them, is trying to break the world record for running with a stoma, which helped her recover from bowel cancer surgery. how candidly she speaks about this, on telly now but also in general, is great. Greg James tells her she the most remarkable person he’s ever met; ahhhhh.
We’re now hearing from Scott Mitchell, the late Barbara Windsor’s husband, who’s leading an Eastenders contingent raising money for dementia research – one in three of us will have to deal with that in our lives. What a nice man.
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On which point:
It may surprise some that when it comes to general participants of running events in the UK, diversity levels among them is woefully low https://t.co/aU6QjgQsyj
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 23, 2023
Jeanette Kwakye is speaking to a group who’ve been training during Ramadan; I can’t even, what an effort. We’re hearing from a woman who says the lack of sleep was more of an issue than the lack of food, and knowing when her body felt strong … and she’s also a teacher! Goodness me. And now we’re hearing from someone she’s with who’s just run Boston, but he says he’s still go the good vibes of Eid.
I said temperate, but actually it’s looks, at least, pretty alright at Blackheath. We’re currently seeing a bunch of Bake-Off contestants running for Great Ormond Street and specifically a new cancer centre. Good luck people.
Preamble
Morning all! Anyone fancy a quick 26.2 miles? No? How about a swift 42.1 km? Also no? Snap.
I can’t lie, I do have an I ran the London Marathon 2006 running top, which I borrowed from a friend to do three peaks – thanks Chris – and failed to return – also thanks Chris. But otherwise, the notion of putting my body and brain through the slog of a run like this could not be less appealing. Just focus on the next step? Not for me, Kenenisa.
However, luckily for us, 45,000 or so heroes feel differently. Doing last year’s race, I seemed to spend half the time tending to my uncommonly sweaty eyeballs as ordinary people related their extraordinary tales, and I’m certain today will be the same, an inspiring triumph of the human spirit. If you’re there or know people who are, feel free to send in your photos, anecdotes and charity links.
Otherwise, though the elite men’s race doesn’t feature Eliud Kipchoge, who’ll be starting us off, it will include Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest man in history, and given he’s 40, we’re mandated to enjoy him while we still can; Kelvin Kiptum, who ran the fastest marathon debut ever in Valencia last year; Sir Mo Farah, competing for the final time; Tamirat Tola, the world champion; and Gabriel Geay, who came second in last week’s Boston event.
As for the women, we’ve got Brigid Kosgei, the world record holder; Yalemzerf Yehualaw, the 10km world record holder; Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic champion; Genzebe Dibaba, the world 1500m record holder; and Tigist Assefa, the 2022 Berlin champion. Look out for a fast time in that one, especially given the, er, temperate conditions.
And, in the wheelchair races, Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, defending champs and world record holders return – their events will be started by Gordon Perry, winner of the first such contest 40 years ago. This is going to be affirming!
Elite wheelchair races: 9.15am BST
Elite women’s race: 9.25am BST
Elite men’s race and mass start: 10am BST
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