South London looking resplendent, the pacemakers less so as they set off at a frightening lick that has left the pack behind. Three of them have rattled off.
The women’s elite race is just about to go, with the big favourites at the front, with Mary Keitany, who lost out when going for the world record last year, having won in 2017, and Vivian Cheryuiot, also of Kenya and last year’s winner, leading them off. Brigid Kosgei and Gladys Cherono, both also from Kenya, have won in Chicago and Berlin and are the other fancies. And off they go, with the four pacemakers going to the left, as they depart Blackheath.
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The men’s elite wheelchair race has got off to a very odd start. Briton David Weir is going for his ninth win in the event and up with the pack in the early stages, but the big story is that the Colombian athlete Francisco Sanclemente has had a nightmare. He went nowhere from the gun as his wheelchair had stopped working. Some frantic repairs going on to the wheels but nothing works, to paraphrase Catweazle, and his race ends before it can begin.
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Preamble
The sun is out, and the clouds are only a little greying. If the rain stays away, this would be the perfect conditions to run in. What are we looking for here? Well, Mo Farah has given us all a storyline to follow with his ultra-public spat with Haile Gebrselassie. He will have to put that behind him as he pads the streets of his home town, as he is running up against an all-time great in Eliud Kipchoge, the world record holder, who has won 11 of 12 marathons. No pressure, Mo, but then again, he doesn’t like the quiet life much, does he?
With an excellent field in the women’s race and all the fun of the fun runners, it promises to be an excellent 38th London Marathon.