London Marathon: 80,000 runners take part in ‘moment of joy’ as race returns from two-year Covid gap

Junior doctor from Leeds becomes fastest British runner on his first ever marathon

Sisay Lemma from Ethiopia crossing the finish line of the London Marathon (PA)

Eighty-thousand runners took part in the triumphant return of the London Marathon on Sunday after an 889-day absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock, broadcasters Chris Evans and Sophie Raworth, and former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss were among 40,000 tackling the 26.2 mile course from Greenwich to The Mall, while a similar number took part in other locations around the country using a tracking app.

They ran alongside swarms of people in fancy dress, including people dressed as a rhino, a submarine and a cupcake. The weather conditions were sunny and cool with temperatures peaking at around 17C.

After Olympic BMX silver medallist Kye Whyte got the main race started, marathon organiser Virgin Money London said: “So many smiles, so good to have you back!”

There were some changes in the post-Covid era, with all participants needing to show a negative lateral flow test result before competing. It was also the first time the route had been run in October rather than during spring.

Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei won the elite women’s race in two hours, 17 minutes and 43 seconds, leaving pre-race favourite and world record-holder Brigid Kosgei trailing and out of the podium places completely.

Sisay Lemma of Ethiopia won the men’s race comfortably in a time of two hours, four minutes and one second.

Philip Sesemann, a junior doctor from Leeds, was the fastest British men’s runner, coming in seventh with a time of two hours, 12 minutes and 58 seconds in his marathon debut. And GB’s Charlotte Purdue ran a personal best in the womens’ event, storming into third in the British all-time pace with two hours, 23 minutes and 26 seconds.

Sophie Raworth celebrates after finishing (Reuters)

It was a Swiss double victory in the wheelchair race; with Manuela Schar winning the women’s in one hour, 39 minutes and 52 seconds, and Marcel Hug winning the men’s in one hour, 26 minutes and 27 seconds.

Race director Hugh Brasher said he hoped this year’s event would be “the most memorable London Marathon ever”, a “moment of joy, of true emotion” for many taking part and their families and friends.

“It is more than just a marathon,” he said. “This is about bringing people together and that is what we have missed so much in the last 18 months.”

Andrew Strauss ran in the marathon in memory of his late wife, Ruth. The couple both trained for the 2013 London Marathon, but only Ruth managed to complete it. She passed away in 2018 from lung cancer.

Mr Strauss said: “I feel like it brings me closer to Ruth again. Life goes on and life is busy and to have an opportunity to take a step back and remember that experience and those moments is a really valuable thing both for me and the boys.”

Former health secretary Mr Hancock was running the 26.2-mile route to raise money for St Nicholas Hospice Care, a charity working in his constituency of West Suffolk.

The husband of EastEnders star Barbara Windsor, Scott Mitchell, also ran in the event in memory of his wife, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with her face. Speaking last week on Good Morning Britain, Mr Mitchell said: “She’s constantly with me. I talk to her when I’m running. I think you do it, it’s part of grieving and we all go through, unfortunately, those things when you do grieve.”

BBC presenter Sophie Raworth, who was running in the marathon, described the crowds as “unbelievable”, adding: “All through the pandemic I ran through London virtually on my own, the streets were just empty. There was not a sound. And today, oh my god, the crowds were just unbelievable. It was brilliant.”

Covid precautions changed some of the set-up of Sunday’s race. There was no bag drop at the start and runners were instead asked to leave any belongings they needed at the finish line at Excel where they collected their number.

Former health secretary Matt Hancock ahead of his run (PA)

There were also no volunteers hanging medals around the necks of the finishers, who were instead given their medal in their bag.

Participants were encouraged to wear a bottle belt so they could carry a drink to further reduce touchpoints on the day, and were asked to invite just one supporter to reduce crowds along the route. Although in many places along the course, crowds of watchers were five to 10 people deep, cheering the runners on.

Runners were also set off in more than 40 waves across a 90-minute period on Sunday so that crowds were reduced at the start line.

Lucy Harvey, from Poole, Dorset, who turned 18 on Saturday, was the youngest runner, while Koichi Kitabatake, 87, from Japan, was the oldest.

A host of retired top sports stars also pulled on their trainers, including former London Marathon winner Liz McColgan, footballer Danny Mills, rugby player Kevin Sinfield and Olympic gold medal cyclist Dani Rowe.

There were also a number of world records for runners who decided to dress up for the race.

The title of fastest marathon runner dressed as a three-dimensional plant went to Jane Faulkner in four hours, five minutes and 18 seconds.

Siddharth Paralkar, who completed the course in three hours, 50 minutes and 44 seconds, was the fastest male marathon runner dressed in a safari suit, while Liv Anderson, who was dressed as Henry VIII, finished in three hours, 39 minutes and 50 seconds to be the fastest female dressed as a monarch.

The London Marathon will return in October again next year before going back to its original billing in April of 2023.