The sun could come out again for the London Marathon on October 2
(Picture: Jed Leicester for Virgin Money London Marathon)London Marathon runners can expect cool and overcast conditions for their 26.2 mile-long assault on Sunday.
The Met Office is predicting cloudy weather with temperatures around 12C when the race kicks off with members of England’s victorious women’s football team sounding the starting klaxons.
Leah Williamson will sound the first buzzer at around 8.50am when the wheelchair races get underway. Ellen White will start the women’s elite race at 9am before Jill Scott gets the elite men and mass race of close to 40,000 starters running by 10am.
The cloudy, cool weather is likely to last by the time the elite runners cross the line.
The day will however warm up into the afternoon with sunny spells likely to push temperatures to around16C.
It is the third year the London Marathon has not run in its traditional April slot due to the pandemic and subsequent measures. The 2023 edition is expected to revert to its traditional time.
Organisers have been hit by the change of time presenting a busy autumn schedule for marathon running with many top stars, including world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, focusing on European marathons such as Berlin or Amsterdam. British stars Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan have had to pull out.
On Saturday, world record holder and four-time London Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will plant a tree in honour of Her Majesty for The Queen’s Green Canopy.
As well as honouring the Queen, the tree marks the launch of the London Marathon’s Living Hall of Fame, which over the next decade will see a tree planted for every London Marathon champion since 198 at different locations along the famous route.
Kipchoge will plant a flowering cherry tree on Blackheath Avenue in Greenwich Park, close to the famous start of the London Marathon.
Kipchoge said: “For me trees represent life and legacy. I would like this world to be a running world and a green world.
“Therefore it is a great honour to plant this tree in the London Marathon Living Hall of Fame, especially since this is the first tree in the new planting season for The Queen’s Green Canopy. It is a wonderful way to remember my four victories in London and I hope to visit this tree every time I return to London in future.”
