London Marathon 2026: Sawe wins race in under two hours 

McFly’s Harry Judd was left panicking after forgetting his bib on the morning of today’s London Marathon.

Read the full report by showbusiness reporter Amelia Wynne here:

Tower Bridge – which marks the route’s halfway point – has been packed out with sweaty runners as they try to keep their momentum going.

Podcaster, entrepreneur and endurance athlete Spencer Matthews has participated in the Marathon with The Turmeric Co. ‘tattooed’ across his knees – because the race is allegedly hurting people’s knees.

It comes as four in 10 exercisers are battling some form of injury, including to new research.

Speaking on why he decided to ‘sponsor’ his own knees, Mr Matthews said:

I’m no stranger to serious injuries caused by running and once I started to prioritise the less obvious areas of performance I saw enormous improvements.

But it’s not just about performance – injuries can take a huge mental toll and dealing with constant pain can be completely debilitating.

That’s why this is something I feel so passionately about. If we can help runners look after their bodies better and avoid some of that pain, that’s a win.

The Daily Mail’s very own Harry Bamforth – live sports coverage reporter – has revealed the essential app needed for anyone competing their own marathon.

He described his experience of constant ‘cramps’ in the aftermath of the race and barely being able to walk.

But Harry explained the Runna app had greatly aided his recovery.

He said:

I allowed myself a week’s rest before easing myself back to the tarmac, using the training app that guided me to a PB in Rome, Runna.

Runna is an app, founded in 2021, that offers custom training plans and coaching for various race distances and goals.

Common sense is key when recovering from a marathon – something I don’t always possess when it comes to training – and you need to listen to your body as you get back up to speed.

Harry Styles fans have been convinced the singer disguised himself as Daddy Pig to take part in today’s Marathon.

You can read the full report by showbusiness reporter reporter Milly Veitch here:

Daddy Pig was seen stopping for selfies with other runners as he entered the last 10 miles of the race – putting to bed allegations he was ‘already exhausted at mile three’.

Meanwhile the temperature has been climbing, with highs of 21C expected on The Mall at 4pm.

Martin Taylor has said he is running today’s race for his young daughter Audrey, who was diagnosed with moderate deafness and now wears ‘pink, sparkly hearing aids’.

He said:

I want to demonstrate to Audrey there’s no limitatons and she can do anything she sets her mind to.

Tigst Assefa and Sabastian Sawe were seen posing together for a photo at the Marathon presentation ceremony.

It may have felt like a stroke of de ja vu as the pair were snapped together in a very similar photograph this time last year.

Elite men’s wheelchair winner Swiss Marcel Hug has today equaled British Paralympic legend David Weir’s eight London Marathon gold medals. This is Hug’s sixth win of the race in six years.

Hug said: ‘It feels really amazing. I’m not very much into statistics but this one is really special.

‘To be equal with David Weir who is a legend in the London Marathon but also in wheelchair racing in general.

‘So it really means a lot to me to be with him on the same stage.’

Elite wheelchair women’s winner Swiss Catherine Debrunner said: ‘It has been a great race day for many of us. I’m super happy to take the win here in London, it’s a special place to me.

‘We definitely had a big fight today’.

There was a tense battle near the end of the race down the Embankment where Debrunner had a tense sprint with her American competitor Tatyana McFadden.

Debrunner said: ‘I was very happy that I managed to win the end sprint.’

She added: ‘I knew that she was a very good sprinter but I was really hoping that I could win it. I knew that I was very strong; I had very good training the last couple of months so I felt very well prepared.

And I just thought lets take all the risk and lets go all in on the last two kilometres.’

She completed the race in one hour 38 minutes and 30 second – her second London Marathon win.

Former England rugby youngster Matt Hampson who was paralysed in a scrum aged 25 is participating in the London Marathon in a special wheelchair to raise money for people in a similar position.

Following his injury, he said he remembered watching his teammates play from his lounge on the TV after the accident and was ‘just crying.’

‘I felt a sense of loss that I was never going to do that again’

Matt now breathes with the aid of a ventilator and is wheelchair bound.

He spoke about starting his charity to help others in similar situations.

He said: ‘I had so much support from so many people from all walks of life. And I saw so many people who didn’t have that – who didn’t have one visitor from one week to the next.

‘And I thought “I need to do something, I need to give something back.”‘

He created the Matt Hampson Foundation and is now trying to raise £100,000 for the charity on the marathon to help other young people who have been paralysed.

Four of his friends will be pushing him the 26.2 miles.

Men’s winner Kenyan Sebastian Sawe said fierce competition helped him break the world record for the men’s marathon. He is the first man to run a marathon like this in under two hours.

He said: ‘I was so excited to see I was running a world record today.’

Adding: ‘I am so happy for today’s results. I think I was well prepared because coming to London for the second time was so important to me so that’s why I prepared for it.’

He thanks the crowds for cheering him along, saying that they helped him feel ‘loved’ and kept him going.

He wrote his record time on his shoe – one hour 59 minutes and 30 seconds