London Marathon 2023: Marcus Mumford to Josh O’Connor - which celebrities will be participating this weekend?

Over 40,000 participants are expected to be running the streets of London this weekend with a further 40,000 likely to be partaking in the virtual course. Over £1 billion has been raised for various charities since the London Marathon started in 1981 and this money will continue rising as thousands from around the world flock to take part in one of the biggest marathons on the planet.

This year will also see four of the fastest five competitors in history take part in the event - Kenenisa Bekele, Kelvin Kiptum, Birhanu Legese and Mosinet Geremew - while 2022 champion Amos Kipurto is also scheduled to return this year. British fans will also be delighted to see the return of Sir Mo Farah who was forced to miss last year’s race due to a hip injury. The four-time Olympic champion has indicated that this could be his final year of competitive racing before retirement.

As spectators take to the streets to cheer on the 40,000 runners, here are some of the other famous faces to look out for...

When is the London Marathon?

The London Marathon will take place on Sunday 23 April 2023 with the main race kicking off at 9.30am BST. BBC One will have all of the coverage until 2.15pm at which point the programme will switch over to BBC Two.

Which celebrities are running the London Marathon 2023?

Here are some of the biggest names who will be running the 26.2 mile course this weekend:

Marcus Mumford: Lead singer of Mumford&Sons and husband of actress Carey Mulligan will be running in this weekend’s event in order to raise money for the Grenfell Tower Foundation. Mr Mumford is a chair of the Foundation which helps support the bereaved families and victims of the fire which took place in 2017.

Adele Roberts: Radio 1 DJ and former I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here competitor Adele Roberts is taking on the 26.2 mile course just 18 months after undergoing life-saving bowel cancer surgery and she is hoping to break the female record for the fastest marathon run with an ileostomy. The record currently stands at 4:00:00. This will be her third London Marathon and she is raising money for the Attitude Magazine Foundation to help support LGBTQ+ causes.

Jake Quickenden: The former X-Factor star and footballer will be running the London Marathon in order to raise money for Sarcoma UK. Mr Quickenden sadly lost both his brother and father from bone cancer within just three years of each other and the former footballer will be running the marathon in their memory.

Chris Evans: Radio DJ Chris Evans will be preparing for his ninth London Marathon and the radio host, who runs alongside his wish Tash admitted: “It’s such a focus for us, it’s the number-one thing in our social diary.”

Josh O’Connor: The actor who has become best known for his role as (the-then) Prince Charles in The Crown is set to take part in the London Marathon. Film audiences will get to see the actor’s sporty side in his upcoming project, Challengers, watchers may well see The Durrells star in action this weekend.

Sophie Raworth: BBC broadcaster and newsreader Sophie Raworth is another fan of the London Marathon and will once again be running in the event. She has described herself as a “slightly obsessive long-distance runner” and often shares her fitness antics on her social media.

‘Bab’s Army’: Past and present Eastenders acros are set to take on the TCS London Marathon in order to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer’s Research UK in memory of Dame Barbara Windsor. The team, which will be led by Barbara’s husband Scott Mitchell will include the likes of Lacey Turner, Jake Wood, Natalie Cassidy, Heather Pearce and Tanya Franks.

According to the London Marathon website, here are some of the other biggest names set to take on the TCS event on Sunday:

• Grace Clough MBE - former Paralympic rowing gold medallist
• Josh Cuthbert - Musician and influencer
• Alex Dowsett - former professional cyclist
• Charlie Hodgson - former England rugby union international
• Charlotte Jane - Musician
• Harry Judd - Musician (McFly)
• Camilla Kerslake - Musician
• Eilish McColgan - Commonwealth Gold medallist 10,000m
• Danny Mills - pundit and former England footballer
• Louise Minchin - TV presenter
• Eve Muirhead OBE - former GB curling skip and Olympic curling gold medallist
• Joff Oddie - Musician (Wolf Alice)
• Monica Puig - 2016 Olympic tennis champion
• Tilly Ramsey - influencer and TV personality
• Chris Robshaw - former England rugby union captain
• Perri Shakes-Drayton - former GB track athlete
• Richard Whitehead - former Paralympic athletics gold medallist