This year's edition of the London Marathon is expected to be more impressive than ever. A record 59,000 runners will start on Sunday, with an estimated £100 million raised for charity. Along the traditional route from Greenwich to “The Mall“ participants will consume tens of thousands of energy gels, and at the same time there are expectations of a possible new world record for men.
Interest in the event is huge - over 1.1 million people have applied through a raffle to take part, which is around 750,000 more than four years ago. It is particularly impressive that a third of those wishing to run are between the ages of 18 and 29, with women dominating the younger participants.
The scale of the marathon is now so great that organizers are considering holding the event over two days from 2027, in order to be able to take part in up to 100,000 people. The boom in running, supported by Generation Z, the active participation of women and the influence of social networks, is proving to be much stronger than expected.
BBC journalist Sophie Rowworth says that when she started running at the age of 38, she rarely met other women on the courses. But today, as she prepares for her 13th London Marathon, the picture is completely different - interest and participation are at an unprecedented level.