London Marathon: 26 facts and records from the capital’s big race

 
Blood, sweat and vows: One couple plan to wed at the 13-mile mark
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Thousands of runners will tackle the capital's 26.2 mile route again on Sunday and as we gear up for the 35th annual London Marathon, Standard Sport has picked out some facts and records for you to get your teeth into.

Whether you're wrapped up in election fever and want to know how many MPs will be breaking from their hectic schedule to run the race, or you're wondering the age of the marathon's oldest finisher (hint, it's north of 90) - then digest our list and get clued up ahead of the big race.

1 - Jealous Guy by Roxy Music was No.1 in the UK charts when the first London Marathon took place in 1981, with over 7,000 running on the streets of the capital that year.

2 - Former London Marathon director Dave Bedford spent two days in bed after that first race. He was in the nightclub the Mad Hatter he then owned in Luton when he accepted a bet of £250 he could not compete in the race. Four piña coladas and countless beers followed - along with a call to race founder Chris Brasher - and he confirmed his race place before getting to bed at 4.45am. He woke up 75 minutes and completed the course.

3 - Only two Members of Parliament have ever dipped under the three-hour mark in the Marathon. The fastest ever was Matthew Parris, who ran an impressive 2:32.57 in 1985. The other sub-three MP was Doug Henderson with a time of 2:52.24 in 1989.

4 - Four hours and 30 minutes is the time that Gemma Kirkham needs to beat this year for the world record for a female athlete dressed as a framed painting. Hers is just one of 100 attempted world records in this year’s race.

5 - The number of MPs running in this year’s race despite the clock ticking to the General Election. The quintet are four Conservative MPs: Edward Timpson, Alun Cairns, Graham Evans and Richard Drax, and one from Labour - Dan Jarvis.

6 - Tatyana McFadden spent the first six years of her life walking on her hands in a Soviet orphanage because it could not afford to pay for a wheelchair for the girl, who was born with spina bifida. She was adopted by US Health Department Deborah McFadden, who adopted her. McFadden is the defending London Marathon champion in the women’s wheelchair race.

7 - No athlete has won the London Marathon seven times but it is the goal for Londoner David Weir, currently tied with Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson with six victories in the annual event.

8 - Claude Umuhire, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide, spent eight months homeless on the streets of London but got his life back on track via the charity The Running Charity. He is running this year’s marathon on behalf of the charity.

9 - Geoffrey Mutai is one of nine children and trains in Iten in Kenya, a place that has produced 70% of the world’s marathon champions. Mutai is among the race favourites on Sunday.

10 - It was running a 10-kilometre race for the Kenyan police force that former travelling salesman Wilson Kipsang’s running talents were first discovered. He is the defending London Marathon champion and had previously been the world record holder for the 26.2-mile distance.

11 - It took 11 hours and 34 minutes for Jenny Wood-Allen to complete the course in 2002 but impressively she was 90 at the time - the oldest female finisher - and she made it over the line despite injuring her head in a training fall. The oldest male finisher is Fauja Singh (at 93), who completed the course in six hours seven minutes in 2004.

12 - It is 12 years since Paula Radcliffe set her world record on the streets of London. No one has come close to her mark of 2:15.25.

13 - The 13-mile mark will be a poignant one for Laura Harvey and Paul Elliott this year. At the halfway stage, they plan to take 45 minutes out of the race to get married and will head to their wedding reception after the finish.

14 - Only 14 men have run each and every one of the 34 London Marathons. One of them is former head teacher Mike Peace. The 65-year-old’s PB is 2:37.12 set in 1991.

15 - Mo Farah was 15 years old when he won the Mini Marathon for the first time. He won it three times in all. He made his marathon debut last year in the main event but could only finish eighth.

16 - The mercury is set to hit a high of 16 degrees at most during the course of Sunday’s race.

17 - The number worn by Britain’s leading runner in the elite field, Scott Overall. He boasts a career best of 2:10.55 over the 26.2-mile distance and was an usher at the aforementioned Farah’s wedding day.

18 - Kenya is the dominant force of distance running and the East African nation has 18 London Marathon wins to its name. Kenya has won nine out of the last 11 runnings of the men’s elite race

19 - Mile 19 on the course takes the thousands of runners from elite to the rank amateurs past Canary Wharf.

20 - Remember to smile amid the pain for those running as official photographers will be in place at 20 points over the course of the race to get shots of you in action.

21 - The record temperature ever recorded in London for the marathon was 21.7 degrees dating back to 22 April 2007. The coldest temperature ever had been 13 years previously in 1994 at 7.6 degrees.

22 - Number 22 is the number Jenson Button is used to wearing on his McLaren-Honda race car. The 2009 Formula 1 world champion is arguably the most high-profile sporting figure lining up for this year’s race.

23 - A total of 23 different nations have won the marathon from the elite men and women to the wheelchair racers.

24 - It is a 24th London Marathon for Paul Freedman, the oldest man in this year’s race at the age of 90. He has raised £100,000 for Saint Francis Hospice over the years but only took up running at the age of 61. When not running, he is part of a comedy act called The Entertainers.

25 - Sticking to age, the youngest ever female winner was Malgorzata Sobaska, who was 25 when she won in 1995 in a time of 2:27.53. The youngest male winner was Sammy Wanjiru, the Kenyan just 22 for his 2009 victory. He sadly died two years later after falling from a balcony.

26 - Sunday 26 April is the date for this year’s London Marathon, the 35th running of the iconic annual event.

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