The 2024 TCS London Marathon is set to be the biggest ever with more than 50,000 finishers and more than 500,000 children and young people taking part in the TCS Mini London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon in schools.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the TCS London Marathon, said: “What we have is an incredible event and one that is more inclusive than before. We are supporting more than 200 disabled participants on the day. A new initiative we are trialling this year, with a view to expanding further in 2026.”
Hugh also mentioned a number of initiatives to make all runners feel supported on Event Day. A reflection space will be available in the Finish Area of the 2024 TCS London Marathon. This will be split into two different spaces - a faith space and a quiet space.
The quiet space is for neurodivergent participants who might feel overwhelmed by the crowds. The faith space is open to any religion or for anyone who needs time to reflect. There are female urinals, and sanitary products available for anyone who needs them. There is also a family support area which includes a private breastfeeding area.
Parity in the wheelchair field
In February, the TCS London Marathon became the first marathon in the world to make its prize money for disabled and able-bodied athletes exactly the same. All winners in the 2024 elite races will receive $55,000 (£44,000), with the runner-up earning $30,000 (£24,000) and third place earning $22,500 (£18,000).
Hugh said: “It’s a hugely important moment not only for wheelchair racing but to help people stop and think about how we can make society fairer.”
On the wheelchair elite field, Hugh said: “Incredibly, we have David Weir competing for the 25th consecutive year. He has a brand new wheelchair, the same as Marcel Hug, and is in the best form of his life. You might have also seen that Eden Rainbow-Cooper, who won the Boston Marathon on Monday, is also competing.”
You can view the full wheelchair elite field here.
Remembering Kelvin Kiptum
In February, the reigning TCS London Marathon champion, Kelvin Kiptum, died alongside his coach in a car accident.
Hugh said: “We are very sadly without our male defending champion Kelvin Kiptum who was tragically killed earlier this year. We will mourn not being able to understand the man he was or would be.”
There will be a tribute to Kiptum before the elite men’s race at 10:00 on Sunday 21 April. TCS London Marathon announcer Geoff Wightman will celebrate his short but impactful life. There will be thirty seconds of applause followed by a video, which will be broadcast by the BBC.
“I am predicting a women’s-only world record.”
All eyes will be on the elite women's race as three of the top four fastest women in history - Tigst Assefa, Brigid Kosgei and Ruth Chepngetich - go after a new women’s-only world record.
The record stands at 2:17:01, set by Mary Keitany at the 2017 London Marathon, and it’s a star-studded field of women who will be vying to break it.
Hugh said: “We have seven women who have run under 2 hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds and no race in the history of our sport has had that.”
Jasmin Paris, the first woman to complete the ultra-endurance Barkley Marathons, will start the elite women’s race at 09:25 on Sunday 21 April.
Sustainability
In 2023, the TCS London Marathon became the first major event in the UK to be awarded Gold certification by the Council for Responsible Sport, the world’s leading sustainability certification programme dedicated to sports events and organisations. But this is just the start of the sustainability journey.
London Marathon Events is working hard on new initiatives. Hugh said: “There is power in people making small changes and when they are done collectively it can make a difference.”
Hugh highlighted three initiatives:
- Finisher medals are made from recycled zinc.
- Participants can opt out of a T-shirt and instead choose to have a tree planted by Trees Not Tees.
- A carbon levy for international participants to help compensate for greenhouse gas emissions associated with overseas travel.
You can read more about how we are managing our environmental impact here.
Celebrity Runners
There are a number of famous faces joining the masses. Top comedians Romesh Ranganathan, Rosie Jones, Ivo Graham, Maisie Adams and Joel Dommett have swapped Stand-up for the Start Line.
Russ Cook, known as the ‘Hardest Geezer’, is set to join the masses just two weeks after running the length of Africa. He will be running with a group of young people from The Running Charity.
EastEnders stars Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick, or as you better know them, Honey and Jay, will be running in character, as part of a plotline which sees them running in memory of Jay’s wife, Lola.
You can view the full list of celebrity runners here.