Christopher BarrettAfter nearly 41,000 people took part in the TCS London Marathon yesterday, 2 October, event director Hugh Brasher has said the 42nd edition of the event was the most inclusive to date.
Basher said that when the event was first held, in 1981, 95% of runners were men, but yesterday’s event saw a “sea of humanity” take part.
Among the initiatives was Rainbow Row, which encouraged the LGBTQIA+ community “to bring colour to the event”, as Brasher put it, while assisted wheelchair entrants were on the course for the first time, and the marathon championed its new non-binary entry policy.
“We hope our new initiatives ensure the event is even more diverse in years to come,” said Brasher.
Staged with support from suppliers including Arena Events Group, Wernick Events Hire and Sunbelt Rentals, the TCS London Marathon saw a record-breaking Swiss double in the wheelchair races for the second year in a row, as Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner both set course records. Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw won the women’s race, with Kenya’s Amos Kipruto being the first man to cross the finish line.
On the day before the main event, 7,000 young people from across the country took part in the TCS Mini London Marathon. It saw children complete over one mile or 2.6K to finish on The Mall.