The 46th London Marathon, the largest edition to date with nearly 60,000 participants, began on Sunday 26 April with extensive BBC One coverage. Gabby Logan launched the broadcast at 8.30am, joined by expert commentators Andrew Cotter, Steve Cram, Paula Radcliffe and Tanni Grey-Thompson. The programme runs until 2pm, displacing regular Sunday shows such as Breakfast and Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg to BBC Two.
Viewers took to social media within minutes to praise the coverage, calling it a 'TV highlight of the year' and 'essential viewing'. One wrote: 'Love watching the London marathon. Such a great tradition here.' Another commented: 'Always wonderful examples of humanity, determination and support against the backdrop of beautiful London.'
The elite races feature defending champions Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) and Sabastian Sawe (Kenya), while wheelchair winners Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner (both Switzerland) return. Thousands of charity runners also take part, many in fancy dress or attempting world records.
Among the participants are brothers Jordan and Cian Adams, whose mother died of familial frontotemporal dementia aged 52. Both carry the gene, with Jordan stating: 'I have a 99.9% chance of getting it. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.' They aim to raise £1 million for dementia research, with Jordan carrying a fridge during the race and completing 32 further marathons in Ireland.
