London Marathon 2024 LIVE: Latest as 50,000 runners take part in huge race – with Tigst Assefa chasing world record

Emile Cairess has drifted away from leading group of runners in the men’s elite race.

However, he is well under the Olympic qualification time and has two pacemakers next to him to keep him company.

At 26.2 miles, the London Marathon route will take runners around many parts of the city.

The first few miles will see participents going through east London, before crossing over Tower Bridge and towards Canary Warf in the second half.

They will then power towards central London with the finish line close to Buckingham Palace.

You can take an in-depth look at the course here.

The hordes of runners continue to stream through the starting line, as they begin their 26.2-mile ordeal.

It’s been a very good day for Switzerland so far, with Catherine Debrunner coasting to victory in the women’s wheelchair race.

She led from the starting gun and displayed complete dominance over the rest of the field.

It is the second time she has won the race, as she regains her title from 2022.

The Swiss athlete has powered away from the field to take his fourth successive London Marathon title.

He is followed in second place by American Daniel Romanchuk, who overhauled David Weir, forcing the Briton to make do with third place.

Swiss athlete Marcel Hug is continuing his recent domination of the London Marathon, having left the rest of the men’s wheelchair competitors behind.

‘The Silver Bullet’, as he is known, is leading Britain’s David Weir who is 45 seconds behind in second place.

His compatriat Catherine Debrunner (pictured) is also powering ahead in the women’s wheelchair race. It could be good day for Switzerland!

Runners and the crowd joined together for a moments applause in memory of Kelvin Kiptum before the men’s elite race started.

Kiptum, who won last year’s race, tragically died earlier this year in a car crash which also killed his coach Gervais Hakisimana.

The 24-year-old died on February 11, just five days after it was confirmed he had broken the marathon world record.

Runners in this year’s London marathon could earn themselves a significant amount of cash if they manage to finish in the top 12 of the 50,000 participants.

Although many amateurs just want to show up and participate, once they learn how much they could walk away it if they manage to place, they might just be enticed to take it a bit more seriously.

You can find out how much the winning runners earn by clicking on the link below:

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan and TV presenter Joel Dommett (pictured together below) are among those taking part in the public race.

Other famous faces to keep an eye out for today are:

• Christopher Eccleston
• Ruth Wilson
• Erin Doherty
• Tom Grennan

The men’s elite race and the main public event have got underway, with thousands of people now streaming through the starting line.

So many people are taking part in today’s marathon that organisers are staggering when they set off to prevent overcrowding, with some people not crossing the starting line until 11.30am.

There will be dozens of famous faces taking part in the London Marathon today.

The likes of Olympian James Cracknell, MP Dehenna Davison and Gogglebox’s Raza and Bassit Siddiqui have tweeted about the upcoming race.

‘Hardest Geezer’ Russ Cook has said he is ‘just chilling at the moment’ after completing his incredible African challenge.

He will be taking part in today’s London Marathon, and jokingly told the BBC he needed to ‘burn off’ all the pastries he’s eaten since coming back to Britain.

Organisers have asked pro-Palestine and Israel protesters not to disrupt today’s race, pointing to the fact that there are people taking who are running in aid of Gaza and the families of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas

A few people have been seen waving Palestinian flags in support of Palestine ahead the marathon.

The elite women have got underway, ahead of a highly anticipated race.

Organisers have said this is the best women’s field ever assembled for a marathon, with hopes the world record could be broken.

Among the top contenders is Ethiopian Tigst Assefa, who set a world record time of 211:53 at the Berlin Marathon last year.

British runners include Becky Briggs and Alice Wright, who will be hoping to set a time that will see them qualify for the Olympics later this year in Paris.

It’s early, but there are already some incredible fancy dress outfits on display.

Many people taking part in the amateur race will be wearing costumes as they raise money for charity.

Russ Cook, who is known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, is taking part in today’s London Marathon just two weeks after finishing his mammoth African challenge.

The Worthing man left the world amazed when he ran the entire length of the continant, and doing the equivalent of a marathon a day over the course of nearly a year.

He won’t be pushing himself too hard today, as he will be helping pace younger runners as part of his charity work.

He told the BBC he’ll ‘find out how badly the body is damaged today’ after the ‘carnage’ of his incredible African adventure.

The men’s and women’s elite wheelchair races have got underway, with comedian Rosie Jone pressing the starting button.

The male race has already broken up with Marcel Hug pushing to the front and setting the early pace, with David Weir keeping a close eye on him.

While runners from Kenya and Ethiopia have dominated the elite men’s and women’s races over the last decade, there is always hope a British athlete can spring a surprise and take the crown.

In the men’s race Emile Cairess (pictured) and Callum Hawkins will be the focus of British hopes.

Cairess ran the third fastest time ever by a British male marathon runner on his London Marathon debut last year, while Callum Hawkins previously came fourth in the marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships.

In the women’s race Becky Briggs and Alice Wright will be hoping to set times good enough to see them qualify for the Olympics later this year.

Police officers have massed in central London this morning ahead of the London Marathon amid the threat of disruption from protesters.

Miles of road closures have been put in place and security railings put up around the 26.2-mile route which will see 50,000 professional and amateur runners take part.

Photos taken in the early hours of Sunday morning show police securing the route with sniffer dogs in operation, as well as stewards congregating before the first race gets underway at 9.05am.

It comes amid the threat of potential protests by pro-Palestine and Israel demonstrators, with bosses at the event urging them to not to disrupt the Marathon and to focus on ‘coexistence and togetherness’.

David Weir has been an icon of the London Marathon’s wheelchair race over more than two decades, with the 45-year-old taking part for the 25-year in a row today.

In that time he has won the race eight times, although in recent years he has had to play second fiddle to Swiss racer Marcel Hug (pictured together below), who is bidding for a fourth successive victory, and his fifth overall.

In his bid to regain the edge over his rival, Weir has got a new ‘Formula 1’ racing chair developed by Sauber, which he says ‘feels amazing to push’.

He told the BBC: ‘”I’m very aero[dynamic], the chair’s aero, it’s a full carbon chair – it’s great to be in.

‘Marcel is on top of his game and is the master of the marathon distance at the moment, it’s a special race for me because it’s where I started my journey.’

The pair will get underway in the elite men’s wheelchair race at around 9.05am.

Many runners have already arrived at Greenwich Park and Blackheath Common, where they are preparing themselves for the tough 26.2 miles that lies ahead.

Organisers have put up barriers along the route, including on The Mall where the runners will (hopefully) power through to the finish line.

You can watch some of the preparations, which included the deployment of police sniffer dogs, below:

The London Marathon starts at Blackheath Common, with many runners gathering in Greenwich Park before their wave sets off.

The 26.2-mile route sees participents go past some of the capital’s most iconic sights before finishing on The Mall with Buckingham Palace looming large in the background.

On the way to the finish line runners will power past the following landmarks:

• Mile 6 – Cutty Sark
• Mile 12 – Tower Bridge
• Mile 18 – Canary Wharf
• Mile 22 – Tower of London
• Mile 25 – The London Eye
• Mile 25 – Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament
• Mile 26 – Buckingham Palace

It has been an early start for almost everyone taking part in today’s London Marathon, with people descending on Greenwich Park to be prepared for the starting gun.

Given the sheer number of people taking part the start times have been staggered. Here is the order they will set off:

• 9.05am – Elite wheelchair race gets underway
• 9.25am – Elite women’s race kicks off
• 10am – Elite men’s race gets started
• 10am to 11.30am – Amateur runners set off in waves

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s coverage of the 2024 London Marathon.

More than 50,000 professional and amateur runners are set to power through the streets of the capital today, with many raising thousands of pounds for charity in the process.

Stay stuned to our live blog, where we will be sharing the best of the day’s action, the inspiring stories of those taking part and how the famous faces in the field are getting on in their quest to reach the finish line.