The London Marathon 2021 takes place today!
Celebs, pro athletes and fun runners gather at the Start Line
The London Marathon takes place today (3rd October) with over 40,000 runners returning to the 26.2-mile route.
The Marathon is back on its traditional route, from Blackheath to The Mall, and is open to spectators after last year's was held only for elite athletes.
What time does it start?
- 08:30: Mini London marathon
- 08:50: Elite wheelchair races
- 09:00: Elite women's race
- 09:30: Elite men's race and mass start
How will transport be affected?
Roads will be closed across south east and central London between 4am and 7pm, while buses in central London and Greenwich will terminate early, or be diverted, from 6:30am to 7:30pm. DLR will run a changed service until 5pm.
For more information about getting around today, click here.
Which celebrities are running the marathon?
Many celebs, as well as pro athletes, will be running on the streets of London in support of charities close to their hearts.
TV presenter and TOWIE regular Mark Wright, theatre star Carrie Hope Fletcher and three-time Olympic medallist Chris Newton are just a few of the famous faces preparing to run the London Marathon.
For the full list of stars and pro athletes running today, click here.
Watch out for these fun runners!
Brothers Michael Pelton, 28, and Andrew Pelton, 30, and their friend and housemate Niall Cooper, 28, will be tied together at the ankle when they compete today.
They aim to beat the four-legged race record with a current mark of four hours and 44 minutes.
The trio, who are calling themselves 3 Men 1 Marathon, are "pretty confident" about bagging a new record said Niall.
He added: "There's always going to be a feeling of like 'have we prepared enough? Are you at a good enough place for this?' - the answer to which is almost certainly no, in both instances.
"So I think we go in we're confident that we can do it, but it's just hoping that none of us falls apart over the course of the 26 miles."
Niall, who works in education, will be in the middle, with Andrew attached to his left leg and Michael to his right.
The trio, who live in Brixton have also completed a 10k run in four-legged style in 56 minutes.
That run was "mostly successful" according to Niall, who added: "We only fell over a couple of times."
Andrew and Michael were also village champions at three-legged race when they were kids.
"So since then we've kind of just been living off that high and we're kind of just trying to recreate it any way we can," said Michael.
He admits though that a four-legged marathon is a different matter entirely.
The inseparable trio have also ridden a three-person tandem bike to Paris.
That trip, like the marathon, was to raise money for learning disability charity Mencap, and the runners hope to reach a total of £10,000.
Famous faces running the London Marathon this year
James Cracknell
James Cracknell (Olympic rowing Gold-Medallist, running for Headway and the RNLI) and other celebrity participants gather at the start line at the London Marathon 2017.
Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Keith Senior
Former England rugby league stars Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Keith Senior at London Marathon in 2017.
Chris Evans
Radio presenter Chris Evans with his finishers medal after completing the London Marathon in 2019.
Chris Newton
Triple Olympic cycling medallist Chris Newton at the finish line on The Mall at the London Marathon in 2018.
Saffron Barker
YouTuber Saffron Barker with her finishers medal after completing London Marathon in 2019.
Hannah Macleod
Olympic gold medallist Hannah Macleod with her finishers medal after completing the London Marathon in 2019.
Tanya Franks
Eastenders star Tanya Franks with her finishers medal after completing the London Marathon in 2019.
Danny Mills
Ex-England football player Danny Mills (running for the Bobby Moore Fund) with Gary Rowett and Clarke Carlise at the London Marathon in 2016.