Thousands of people will take to the streets of the nation’s capital on Sunday
One of the most-anticipated events of the year returns to London this weekend.
The 45th edition of the London Marathon is aiming to break the world record for the most participants in a marathon, with more than 56,000 people expected to compete.
The race starts at Greenwich Park on Sunday morning, with the elite wheelchair men’s and women’s races leading the way from 8.50am.
The elite women will follow at 9.05am, before the elite men get going at 09.35am.
The mass event will see the rest of the pack emerge from the start line between 09.35am and 11.30am.
An electric atmosphere is expected along the route as friends and family come out in their droves to cheer on their loved ones while they aim to complete the 26.2 mile challenge.
Britain’s most successful Olympian of all time – seven-time gold medal-winning cyclist Sir Jason Kenny – will be taking part this year, along with former England cricketers Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook.
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan returns after his debut last year to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, while singer Alexandra Burke runs for the first time in support of Diabetes UK.
Well-known footballers including former Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, and former Juventus and Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci are taking part.
If you have a friend or loved one taking part, or you just fancy some celeb-spotting, then you can follow the action from the sidelines – or the comfort of your own home – and track their live splits and finishing time.
BBC One will have live coverage of the race from 8am until 2pm, before the action will switch over to BBC Two from 2pm to 3pm.
Highlights will also be broadcast on BBC Two from 6pm until 7pm on Sunday evening.
To track runners in the London Marathon, the best method is to use the official TCS London Marathon app.
You can download the TCS London Marathon app from the App Store or Google Play.
This app allows you to search for runners by name or bib number, add them to a tracking list, and then view their progress along the course.
The app also provides estimated finish times based on the runner’s 5km splits.
For those who don’t have access to the app, the official London Marathon website will also provide live updates on the race results.
The forecast for London on Sunday is currently looking good for the marathon runners.
Sunny intervals and light winds are forecast, but no rain, with temperatures of about 13C predicted for the start of the race.
However, the temperature is expected to rise to a warm 21C for those finishing later in the afternoon.
