The London Marathon is back this Sunday, with 40,000 runners pounding the streets around the capital – including in Tower Hamlets which has more of the marathon route than any other London borough.
Around 5 million people watch the marathon in the UK on the television, with it also being broadcast in 195 different countries and 70,000 spectators turning out to cheer the runners on from the side lines.
The 26.2 mile route takes in many famous Tower Hamlets landmarks, including Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf.
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:
"We warmly welcome all the runners taking part in the marathon and wish them the best of luck in their race, whether their goal is setting a new personal best or just completing the 26.2 mile course which is a huge achievement in itself.
"The runners will spend more time here than in any other London borough as they enter Tower Hamlets at Tower Bridge and pass our world-famous landmarks of the Tower of London and Canary Wharf, and will be cheered on by our communities as they run through the Isle of Dogs, Poplar, Limehouse, Shadwell and Wapping.”
As well as a number of big names battling it out on the tarmac for the fastest times, many people use the run to fundraise for good causes around the world. Since the first London Marathon in 1981, the event has raised more than £1 billion for charity.
Celebrities taking part in this year’s event include Marcus Mumford, frontman of Grammy and Brit Award winning band Mumford & Sons and Golden Globe winning actor Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in the Netflix series The Crown.
Running alongside them will be, Giles Terera MBE, who won an Olivier award for his role as Aaron Burr in the hit musical Hamilton.
Everyone is welcome to line the route for free to support the runners, or you can watch it live on TV. BBC coverage of the elite races will start at 8.30am, before the main show begins at 10am.
Tower Hamlets Council will have 62 staff clean-up staff working along the borough’s section of the route, including 20 litter pickers, 13 drivers, 24 sweepers, four environmental managers, and one operations manager. There will also be six mechanical broom lorries, six dust carts and one water bowser.
The organisers of the London Marathon, London Marathon Events, have introduced a number of initiatives to reduce the environmental impact of the event, including using T-shirts which are made from 100 per cent recycled polyester, using electric vehicles and those powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil, using reusable mile markers which are made from recycled ocean plastic, and recycling water bottles and discarded clothing.
Take our TH_IS quiz to find out how many miles of the London Marathon passes through Tower Hamlets.
Posted on Wednesday 19th April 2023