Thousands of runners have crossed the finish line at the 45th TCS London Marathon, with celebrities, MPs and the fathers of two girls killed in the Southport attack taking part.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to finish the 26.2-mile course starting in Greenwich Park and ending at The Mall near Buckingham Palace.
The weekend's race was one of hottest in the event's history, with runners facing temperatures of up to 22C.
Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa won the women’s elite race, setting a new women-only world record with a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Sebastian Sawe, from Kenya, took home gold in the men’s elite race with a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds.
But Youth Demand attempted to hijack the men’s competition when two activists jumped over the barriers separating spectators from the race course and threw red powder paint onto Tower Bridge.
An image shared by the group showed two people standing in the middle of the road wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel.”
The pro-Palestine protesters were quickly arrested by City of London Police, the group said.
RACE AGAINST TIME TO SAVE GAZA: YOUTH DEMAND SUPPORTERS DISRUPT LONDON MARATHON
— Youth Demand (@youth_demand) April 27, 2025
At 10:30am, Willow and Cristy jumped the barriers at Tower Bridge and sat down in front of the men's elite race at the London Marathon, wearing 'Stop Arming Israel' t-shirts.
Gaza is running out of… pic.twitter.com/LxEVhGI29g
Hugh Brasher, chief executive officer of London Marathon Events, said: “It’s very disappointing that two people attempted to disrupt the London Marathon which does so much good, raises so many millions for charity, brings so much joy and brings communities together.”
Thousands of supporters with banners lined the streets of the capital to cheer on and wave to their loved ones in the mass event.
Participants, including a pair dressed as shower gel bottles, could be seen taking selfies and checking their watches as they set off.
London could set a new record for the world’s biggest marathon, which is currently held by the New York Marathon in November when there were 55,646 finishers.
David Stancombe has finished the London Marathon!
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 27, 2025
His daughter was one of the three girls killed at a dance class in Southport last year, and he was running to raise money for charities in his daughter's name.#LondonMarathon #BBCMarathon pic.twitter.com/tvrXyl8CXt
Among those taking part were David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar, whose daughters Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered in the Southport mass stabbing last summer.
They are raising money for projects in memory of their daughters and Bebe King, six, who was also killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.
In a video message posted on X, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wished the pair “the very best of luck”.
He added: “This is an incredible way to honour the memory of your precious daughters and the entire nation is in awe of your courage and your resilience.”
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Mr Stancombe said: “Even now it still blows me away that so many people know about it and you’re getting messages from the Prime Minister.
“I would love people to know I’ve seen their message, but I have genuinely read so many of them. It’s amazing.”
This year, around 55.3 per cent of registered participants of the UK race are male, with some 44.5 per cent female and 0.15 per cent non-binary.
The youngest competitor was Lucy Jones, who turned 18 on Sunday, while the oldest runners were Mohan Kudchadker, 84, and Mary Jo Brinkman, 83 – both of whom are travelled from the United States for the event.
Six men, known as the ever presents, have ran every London Marathon since the race began in 1981 – a total of 44 races.
The runners, Chris Finill, Malcolm Speake, Michael Peace, Jeffrey Aston, Bill O’Connor and David Walker, all participated for the 45th time.
Celebrity participants included Emmerdale star Tony Audenshaw, who last ran the London Marathon in 2015 but has returned to fundraise for Pancreatic Cancer UK, the event’s charity of the year, after the death of his wife Ruth in April 2017 aged 43.
Audenshaw, who has played Bob Hope for 25 years, said “it just felt right” to take part on what would have been the couple’s 24th wedding anniversary.
“Running at 60 is very different to running at 40.”
He added: “Too many runners overthink it too much, they worry about this and that and the other. Just go running. Get out, get running, do it, put the donkey work in and you’ll get the reward at the end of it.”
Rivals actress Lisa McGrillis, who plays boutique owner Valerie Jones, ran for the British Heart Foundation with her best friend Mary Cann following the death of Ms Cann’s husband Nigel from a heart attack last year.
McGrillis, who suffered several injuries during training, said: “I’m just hoping that on the day I’ll just push through and then never run again.”
Romesh Ranganathan's fans thought the London Marathon tracking app was broken last year 🤣#BBCMarathon #LondonMarathon pic.twitter.com/2ctk8iAOvM
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 27, 2025
Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan, McFly drummer Harry Judd and singer Alexandra Burke also took part.
Some 103 runners attempted to break 87 Guinness World Records at this year’s event, including a duo dressed as a slinky dog and a firefighter wearing full kit.
Many participants hoped their quirky attempts to break records will help boost their fundraising efforts for their chosen charities.
Other record attempts included the fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean (male), fastest marathon dressed as a vegetable (female), and most pairs of underwear worn during a marathon (female).
Very proud to have finished the London Marathon for @SSAFA, supporting our Armed Forces veterans – especially those who served in Northern Ireland.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) April 27, 2025
Thank you to everyone who cheered, donated, or gave a wave along the way.
The crowd was unbelievable! pic.twitter.com/vWwnSkDdMe
Sixteen MPs are also among those running, including Labour’s Josh Fenton-Glyn, Conservative Harriet Cross and Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick took part for the first time after sparking rumours of a leadership challenge after accidentally adding 600 people to a WhatsApp group while trying to fundraise for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association.
The hottest marathon day recorded was in 2018 when temperatures peaked at 24.2C, while the coldest was in 2004 with highs of just 5.3C.
Last year, the London Marathon raised a record-breaking £73.5 million, bringing the cumulative total raised since the first race in 1981 to more than £1.3 billion, according to organisers
