Celebrities and MPs among London Marathon runners as record numbers gather at the start line

27 April 2025, 09:06 | Updated: 27 April 2025, 09:45

A record number of people are taking on the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, including celebrities, MPs and a duo dressed as a slinky dog.

More than 56,000 people are running the 26.2 mile course through the capital on a warm, dry day with temperatures of up to 22C.

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.

This year, around 55.3% of registered participants of the UK race are male, with some 44.5% female and 0.15% non-binary.

The youngest participant is Lucy Jones, who turns 18 on marathon day, while the oldest runners are Mohan Kudchadker, 84, and Mary Jo Brinkman, 83 - both of whom are travelling over from the US for the event.

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Six men, known as the ever presents, have run 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, will all be participating on Sunday for the 45th time.

Other participants include David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar, whose daughters Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered in the Southport attack 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.

Celebrity participants include 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 what on would have been the couple's 24th wedding anniversary.

"I gave myself a year to train because it's a long time since I've done a marathon," he told the PA news agency.

"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, is running for the British Heart Foundation with her best friend Mary Cann following the death of Mary's husband Nigel from a heart attack last year.

McGrillis, who suffered several injuries during training, told PA: "I'm just hoping that on the day I'll just push through and then never run again."

Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan, McFly drummer Harry Judd and singer Alexandra Burke are also set to take part.

Some 103 runners are attempting to break 87 Guinness World Records (GWR) at this year's event, including a duo dressed as a slinky dog and a firefighter wearing full kit.

Many participants hope their quirky attempts to break records will help boost their fundraising efforts for their chosen charities.

Other record attempts include 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).

Sixteen MPs are also among those running, including Labour's Josh Fenton-Glyn, Conservative Harriet Cross and Lib Dem Tom Gordon.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick is taking 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, TCS 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.

Elsewhere, some 36,000 runners are taking part in the adidas Manchester Marathon which is also being held on Sunday.