{"id":176997,"date":"2025-04-27T18:24:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/london-marathon-sets-world-record-for-number-of-finishers\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T18:24:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T18:24:20","slug":"london-marathon-sets-world-record-for-number-of-finishers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/london-marathon-sets-world-record-for-number-of-finishers\/","title":{"rendered":"London Marathon sets world record for number of finishers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The London Marathon\u2019s organisers have hailed an \u201cextraordinary\u201d day in the nation\u2019s capital, as the 45th edition beat the world record for number of finishers and attracted record crowds.<\/p>\n

By 6.30pm on Sunday evening, the number of finishers had surpassed the previous best of 55,646 for a mass participation race set in New York.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, race director Hugh Brasher said that about 800,000 people had cheered them on \u2013 approximately 60,000 more than usual \u2013 due to the warm weather and higher number of participants.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an extraordinary day of records,\u201d said Brasher. \u201cBut, more importantly, an extraordinary day of people coming together and supporting each other in this quest that outwardly is about running 26.2 miles, but actually is much more about celebrating humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>David Stancombe, father of Elsie Dot Stancombe who was killed at a dance class in Southport in 2024 after finishing the London Marathon on 27 April.<\/span> Photograph: Tolga Akmen\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe spectator data takes time to crunch,\u201d he added. \u201cBut we believe there were 60,000 more people watching, which is the size of a massive football match. I\u2019d be absolutely gobsmacked if it wasn\u2019t a record crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those running included Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe<\/a>, who were raising money for projects set up in their daughters\u2019 memory after they were murdered in the Southport attack. Both finished in just over four hours; however, Aguair collapsed to the ground shortly after crossing the line.<\/p>\n

In a video message, played to the families before the race, Keir Starmer paid tribute to the two men, who lost their daughters Alice Aguiar, nine, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, while they attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in July.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>British Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alex Yee came 14th in his debut marathon.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is an incredible way to honour the memory of your precious daughters and the entire nation is in awe of your courage and your resilience,\u201d the UK prime minister said.<\/p>\n

The finishers also included Lindsay Burrow<\/a>, the wife of rugby league great Rob Burrow, who died in June 2024 after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019. Burrow, who said that running had given her a \u201cfocus and purpose\u201d, finished the race in just under five hours.<\/p>\n

The women\u2019s race was won by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa<\/a>, who set a new women\u2019s-only world record of 2:15.50. However, that record, which applies to races without a male pacemaker, was six minutes behind the official women\u2019s record, set last year.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Eilish McColgan crosses the line to finish eighth in the London Marathon women\u2019s race on Sunday 27 April.<\/span> Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eilish McColgan was the leading British woman home, coming eighth in her first marathon in a time of 2:24.25 \u2013 although it was several minutes slower than she had hoped after the warmer than expected weather.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just determined to put one foot in front of the other,\u201d she said. \u201cI think if you look at a lot of British athletes, everyone was a little bit off where they wanted. Maybe it did have a bit more of an impact than we thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Hugh Brasher.<\/span> Photograph: Matthew Childs\/Action Images\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile in the men\u2019s race, won by the Kenyan Sabastian Sawe<\/a>, there was a creditable performance by Britain\u2019s Olympic triathlon gold medallist Alex Yee.<\/p>\n

Yee, who was running in his first marathon, finished in 2:11.8, and afterwards paid tribute to the crowds. \u201cThat was seriously tough but probably one of the best moments of my life,\u201d he said. \u201cI expected the crowds to be good but that was a whole other level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just immensely proud to have run the London Marathon,\u201d he added. \u201cObviously, in the second half I faded quite a lot. But I am so proud to be part of such an amazing day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guinness World Records team were also kept busy, with 42 unusual records being set \u2013 including by Chris \u201cRhino Boy\u201d Green, who broke one for the most marathons run in a 3D costume.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou could not find a happier rhino right now,\u201d said Green after completing his 113rd marathon as a rhino and raising money for the Save the Rhino charity.<\/p>\n

As the day came to an end, Brasher said that the celebration and joy he had seen once again painted London in its best light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree-quarters of the people out there are running for a charity \u2013 and everyone has a reason to run,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople have asked: \u2018Why are you trying to break the world record for finishers?\u2019 But it\u2019s not about that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do is give as many people as we can the opportunity to experience something that is life affirming, that is community building, that is good for their physical and mental health, and truly will give them an experience like no other.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, once again, the London Marathon duly delivered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The London Marathon\u2019s organisers have hailed an \u201cextraordinary\u201d day in the nation\u2019s capital, as the 45th edition beat the world record for number of finishers and attracted record crowds. By 6.30pm on Sunday evening, the number of finishers had surpassed the previous best of 55,646 for a mass participation race set in New York. Meanwhile, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":176998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6802],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-176997","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athetics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}