London marathon ready to roll

Elite runners will set off at 9am, with the mass start scheduled for 9.45am.

Among those taking part will be 1,712 accountants, 1,057 policemen and 198 hairdressers.

Famous faces among the competitors will include the chefs and veteran marathon rivals Gordon Ramsay and Michel Roux.

Roux told the Evening Standard: "I have won every time except once, when I was suffering from a stress fracture.

"I imagine his training has suffered because of all the work he's been doing. At least I hope it has, because I want to beat him again."

Alongside the elite athletes, club runners and famous names will be thousands of people running to raise money for charity.

The Standard spoke to three competitors with unusual stories to tell...

Knight grows boulder

The charity stuntman who ran last year in a suit of armour plans to return this year as Indiana Jones.

Inspired by Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Lloyd Scott, 45, will drag a 280lb boulder. His return comes in spite of the break-up of his marriage.

Last year, the former footballer and firefighter revealed he was divorcing Carole, 42, after she admitted affairs with two of his friends.

"Our three children are now living with me and that's been the biggest challenge," he said. Mr Scott, from Rainham, Essex, "ran" the 2002 London Marathon in a deep-sea diving suit and has also cycled across Australia on a penny farthing.

He is raising money for charities Unicorn Theatre for Children and First Step and aims to finish within 24 hours. To sponsor him, visit www.lloydscott.co.uk

Slimmer weighs in

A year ago Nicki Forster weighed more than 20 stone and could barely manage a Sunday afternoon stroll.

A size 28, she feared she would not live to see her two daughters grow up. Now she weighs 10st 11lb and aims to finish her first marathon in five and a half hours.

The 33-year-old building society worker began her transformation in January last year, lost four stone in four months and was later named Rosemary Conley slimmer of the year.

Watching last year's event, she said she thought: "If I can lose that much weight I can run the marathon. I've been training hard and I feel confident."

Mrs Forster, from Cheshunt, hopes to raise £2,000 for Children With Leukaemia. To support her, visit www.bmycharity.com/nickiforster

Record bid on crutches

A TV cameraman from Blackheath is hoping to set the first world record for a marathon on crutches.

Angus Macfadyen, 35, aims to complete the course in less than seven hours and raise £10,000 for the No More Landmines Trust.

He took on the challenge after a leg injury, sustained while filming a documentary in June last year, left him fearing he would never walk again.

"A 2in steel cable winching a boat I was filming broke free and slammed into my legs," he said.

"I lost the use of one leg for four months and it gave me an insight into issues faced by landmine victims. I've worked in some war hotspots and seen the destruction mines leave behind."

Mr Macfadyen began training for the marathon a month after his accident. "It was hard," he said. "I've had blisters and sores and countless aches and pains."

He regained the use of his leg in October but will "run" on crutches. "I can't tell you the number of times drivers have stopped to offer me lifts," he said. To support Mr Macfadyen, visit www.justgiving.com/MarathonOnCrutches

www.london-marathon.co.uk