London Marathon 2022 runners: who is taking part this year - celebrities to spot, why they’re running

The TCS London Marathon will take place this weekend with a record-breaking 50,000 participants set to take part on the streets of the capital.

While the majority of the participants will be made up of the general public running for a number of differing charities, there are set to be several famous faces competing around the Thames in both the general race and the Elite races.

Sir Mo Farah was set to compete in the elite men’s race despite retiring from the track earlier this year at the age of 39.

He has been urged by the chief executive of the race, Hugher Brasher who has known Farah since he was a young boy, not to write off the marathon despite recent poor performances.

However, the 39-year-old suffered an injury blow and has been forced to withdraw with a hip problem.

Farah expressed his disappointment at not being able to participate.

“I’ve been training really hard over the past few months and I’d got myself back into good shape and was feeling pretty optimistic about being able to put in a good performance,” said Farah.

“However, over the past 10 days I’ve been feeling pain and tightness in my right hip. I’ve had extensive physio and treatment and done everything I can to be on the start line but it hasn’t improved enough to compete on Sunday.”

At 37-years-old, Eliud Kipchoge recently hit a new world record, breaking his own personal best by 30 seconds, at the Berlin Marathon and completed the course in 2:01:09.

Brasher responded to his news by saying: “I think Eliud is proving aged 37 and running a PB that the age barriers that we used to think existed do not necessarily now exist.

“I think that what we should be doing is allowing Mo time to decide what he wants. One bad performance, a couple of bad performances, do not mean that people should write somebody off. He is an asbolutely superb athlete and he will always be welcome back.”

So who else will race in the London Marathon 2022?

When is the London Marathon 2022?

The London Marathon will take place this weekend on Sunday 2 October 2022 with the main race set to begin at 9.40am (BST)

The BBC will once again have all of the coverage for the London Marathon with the event being shown on BBC 1, BBC 2 and BBC iPlayer for fans who wish to stream the race.

Who is competing in the London Marathon 2022?

The acclaimed film and TV star Stephen Mangan will be one of the many famous faces set to compete in this year’s London Marathon. Mangan, who recently appeared in the BBC drama The Split, will be raising money for Marie Curie.

Another on the starting line-up will be fellow actor and singer/songwriter Cynthia Erivo who has previously run the TCS New York City Marathon in 2016.

Former Strictly Come Dancing winner and McFly drummer Harry Judd is set to run the London Marathon once again, having completed the London Half Marathon earlier this year for Tommy’s.

Olympic gold medallist and hockey player Steve Batchelor will be another of the famous faces running the course around the Thames later this week. He also ran the event in 202, raising over £35,000 for Alzheimers Research UK.

According to the TCS Marathon, here are all the famous faces set for the Greenwich Park start line this Sunday:

• Steve Batchelor: Olympic gold medallist
• Joan Benoit-Samuelson: first gold medallist in women’s Olympic marathon
• Sam Bird: Jaguar TCS Racing Formula E Team Driver
• Emon Choudhury: BBC Two’s 2020 Race Across the World winner
• James Cracknell: double Olympic rowing gold medallist
• Chris Evans: radio and television presenter
• Tom McEwen: Olympic eventing gold medallist
• Danny Mills: pundit and former England footballer
• Greg O’Shea: 2019 Love Island winner and Irish Rugby Olympian
• Reece Parkinson: radio DJ and TV presenter
• Sophie Raworth: BBC presenter
• Gary Rowett: former footballer and manager of Millwall FC
• Iwan Thomas MBE: TV presenter and former GB Olympian
• Helen Thorn: comedian, podcaster and one half of Scummy Mummies
• Stephen Warnock: former England footballer
• Tyler West: radio DJ
• Mark Wright: TV personality (The Only Way is Essex)