35,000 face marathon challenge

Fun runners, fund-raisers, celebrities and professional athletes began pounding the streets of the capital from early on Sunday morning.

Kenya's Martin Lel has won the elite men's race in a course record time of 2:05.15. Kazakhstan-born runner Irina Mikitenko, competing for Germany, won the women's race in 2:24.14.

The runners left Greenwich Park on their way east past Woolwich Royal Artillery barracks before winding back to cross the river at Tower Bridge. The course took them around Docklands to the City and across the finishing line on the Mall.

The weather was cool and bright, with no repeat expected of last year's searing heat.

There was a carnival atmosphere at the start of the race, as the 35,000 runners pulled on Lycra shorts, drank energy drinks and smeared on Vaseline while friends and relatives prepared to cheer them on.

Chef Gordon Ramsay, running his ninth marathon, is running for a group of charities including Spina Bifida. "It doesn't get any easier," he said. "As you get older things start to hang."

Also in the celebrity pack were actress Amanda Holden, who is running for the Born Free Foundation, of which she is patron, and Big Brother winner Kate Lawler, running in skimpy black lace pants.

Blind runner Dave Heeley from West Bromwich said he was feeling good as he approaches the end of his seven marathon challenge, across seven continents in only seven days.

The race route was changed slightly because of a gas leak, a marathon spokesman said. She said organisers created a chicane 13 miles into the course, near Canary Wharf, to move runners to the other side of the road.