Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge won his fourth consecutive London Marathon as Britain’s Mo Farah finished fifth.
Kipchoge, 34, ran the second fastest marathon in history in just two hours and thirty-eight minutes while Farah finished three minutes and a second later.
Kipchoge told the BBC: “The crowd in London is wonderful and that spirit pushed me. From the first kilometre to the last, everybody is shouting. I’m happy to cross the line.”
Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei, 25, became the youngest female London winner while American Daniel Romanchuk and Switzerland’s Manuela Schar won the men’s and women’s wheelchair races.
The race
Tennis champion Sir Andy Murray sounded the bells which started the 26.2-mile race at 10:10 BST at Blackheath.
Prince Harry gave out the winners’ medals at the finish line on The Mall later in the afternoon.
He said: “It’s an honour to be asked to start the London Marathon. It’s such an amazing race that means so much to so many people.
“It raises millions each year for charity and helps inspire people to get active. I have nothing but admiration for everyone who runs – I may even run it myself one day.”
Prince Harry gave out the winners’ medals at the finish line on The Mall later in the afternoon.
A record 414,168 people applied in the ballot to run the 2019 race, and over 40,000 runners crossed the finish line.
Celebrity runners included:
- BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans;
- Eight EastEnders stars including Adam Woodyatt and Natalie Cassidy;
- Actress and television presenter Helen Skelton;
- 2016 British Bake-Off Winner Candice Brown.
The atmosphere
Despite the cloudy weather, hundreds of spectators stayed the entire day to cheer on their friends, relatives and favorite athletes running.
Many charity representatives were present at the finish line, as the event raised £1 billion this year.
A sustainable sporting event
This year’s marathon not only marked records in applicants and runners, but it also set the tone the future of mass sporting events in tackling environmental issues.
A range of initiatives were trialed in a bid to reduce the environmental impacts of the event, including:
- The distribution of over 30,000 Ooho seaweed edible and biodegradable water capsules at Mile 23;
- The use of compostable cups and 100 per cent recyclable plastic bottles;
- Reducing the number of plastic bottles distributed on the course by 215,000 compared to 2018.
