The Virgin Money London Marathon kicks off today, but it’s safe to say it will look and feel a little different from previous years.
Most participants will take part in the run virtually, while the physical race will only be completed by a selection of elite athletes, who will do 19 laps of St James’ Park in London.
The other 45,000 participants will run the 26.2 mile distance on a route of their choosing, wherever they are based.
When will the elite race kick-off, who is taking part and how can you follow the action at home?
What time does the London Marathon start?
The first of the races will kick off at 7:15am this morning.
Because of the small circuit, the races need to be spread out with each kicking off when the previous one has ended.
Here are the start times:
- Elite women – 7:15am
- Elite men – 10:15am
- Elite wheelchair – 1:10pm
And yes – you read right, each of the races will be completed in three hours.
London Marathon 2020 route
The elite competitors will do 19.6 clockwise laps of a 2.15km route around St James’s Park.
The athletes will start at the top of the Mall before heading down Horse Guard’s Road, before turning into Birdcage Walk.
From there, they’ll continue onto Spur Road in front of Buckingham Palace and finish up on The Mall.
Can spectators watch the London Marathon 2020?
No – spectators cannot watch this year’s race, as the route will be sealed off to secure the so-called ‘biosecure bubble.’
Which athletes are taking part in the elite London Marathon?
Four-time winner and world record holder Eliud Kipchoge will take part, as well as Mosinet Geremew, who is largely tipped to be his biggest competition – after Kenenisa Bekele pulled out of the race on Friday because of a calf injury.
Women’s world marathon record holder Brigid Kosgei, and Ruth Chepngetich will also be participating.
When asked by BBC what his advice is for runners taking part virtually, Kipchoge advises them to ‘start, finish, feel it and enjoy it.’
‘In spirit we will be running together.’
In total, there will be 100 elite competitors taking part. You can see the full list on the Virgin Money London Marathon website.
How to watch the London Marathon live
You can follow the marathon live on BBC iPlayer from 7am.
Both BBC One and BBC Two will be broadcasting different segments of the race throughout the day.
The schedule is as follows:
- 7am – 10am, BBC Two (Elite women)
- 10am – 1pm, BBC One (Elite men)
- 1pm – 3pm, BBC Two (Elite wheelchair)
If you want to follow the other 45,000 runners taking part virtually, you can do that by downloading the dedicated Official Virgin Money London Marathon App.
London Marathon 2020 road closures
As you might expect, road closures are pretty minimal this year, owing to the race being largely conducted behind closed doors.
Roads will be closed to traffic in St James’s Park from 6am on Friday 2 October to 6am on Monday 5 October.
You can find a map of all closures on the London Royal Parks website.
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