London Marathon elite race to go ahead

The start will be 500m towards the other end of The Mall by the Duke of York steps. Races cannot overlap so will be set off at 07.15 (28 women plus 8 pacers), 10.15 (45 men plus 8 pacers) and 13.15 (wheelchairs). The BBC will broadcast the event live for a period of 8 hours.

The flat course on a high-quality surface, along with the usual loaded fields in both men’s (Eliud Kipchoge vs Kenenisa Bekele) and women’s (Brigid Kosgei vs Ruth Chepngetich) races makes world records a realistic possibility. It will be the first opportunity for runners to achieve the Olympic qualifying standard since the qualifying period re-opened on 1 September.

The coronavirus hygiene plan is to create a “biosecure bubble” for which athletes must be tested in their home countries before departing four days before the event, again on arrival at their hotel, and again on the Friday before the race. Any athlete who tests positive will be withdrawn. The hotel will be with single room occupancy and located out of town with private grounds in which runners can train.