Why does the london marathon have a set distance

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Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Boba Fett arrives in 'Fortnite' on December 24th. Sony reportedly cuts PS5 production again as chip shortages and shipment issues bite. I like the course. The way they welcome us. Even the race organisers. I like the place and how they cheer us on the way. Charlotte Purdue and Natasha Cockram, the first Briton in the and races respectively, are aiming to qualify for next year's World Championships in Oregon.

Purdue, the fourth-fastest British woman over the distance, was bitterly disappointed to miss out on selection for the Tokyo Olympics, feeling she was wrongly overlooked on medical grounds.

In last year's men's race, Ethiopia's Shura Kitata explained how he had hit the breakfast buffet hard to power himself to a surprise victory over Kenyan great Eliud Kipchoge. Here's hoping the elite athletes' hotel has stocked up on pastries because Kitata is back to defend his crown.

Kipchoge, who had won four of the previous five London Marathons before , is absent this time, with Britain's Mo Farah also missing after failing to qualify for Tokyo on the track and suffering a stress fracture in this foot. However, Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese, the third-fastest man of all time over the distance, is in the field along with compatriot and world silver medallist Mosinet Geremew. Great Britain's eight-time men's wheelchair winner David Weir competes in his 22nd London Marathon but is up against Switzerland's in-form Marcel Hug, who won four golds, including the marathon title, at Tokyo American Daniel Romanchuk, a hugely impressive winner in , is also in the field along with Canada's defending champion Brent Lakatos.

With more than , positive Covid tests across the United Kingdom external-link in the seven days before race week, there are still precautions in place for the race. All runners must provide a negative lateral flow test before they are allowed to line up in London and are being encouraged to bring only one other person to spectate and support them in person.

Stewards will ask people to move along the course if large crowds gather at any point. The race will start with smaller waves of runners released over 90 minutes, and the usual baggage system, which takes warm-up kit from the start to the finish, has been streamlined to reduce the chance of transmission.

Organisers insist fuel supply problems should not be an issue, encouraging runners to use public transport for their journeys to the start and back home. Electric lead vehicles at the front of the race, compostable drinks cups, goodie bags at the finish line made out of sugar cane instead of plastic. The London Marathon has introduced a host of measures to mitigate the waste and carbon produced by the race.

The race has become a draw for runners all over the world with 84, overseas applications to run in the race. Organisers have introduced a carbon levy to help offset those international runners' journeys to the start line. They have also helped fund tree-planting projects in east London and Kenya which absorb carbon dioxide.

There have also been changes to improve the experience of runners at the back of the field after some of 's slowest runners reported being insulted by officials and finding the clean-up operation taking place ahead of them. There will be strong team of 'tailwalkers' who will walk the course at eight-hour pace accompanied by a DJ providing motivational music.

There will also be additional officials on hand about every m from 16 miles onwards to support any runners struggling to complete the course. Junior doctor Phil Sesemann turned 29 on Sunday and marked the occasion with a seventh-place finish in the London Marathon.