Posted: April 23, 2006

Athletics: Cold, Wet London Marathon Today

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

LONDON (23-Apr) -- Although race director Dave Bedford has surely looked after every detail in preparing for today's Flora London Marathon, the one thing out of his control seems to be working against him today: the weather.

At 8:00 a.m. here the temperature is a chilly 43°F (6°C) accompanied by a light and steady rainfall, which has the roadway quite slick. The humidity is high at 76%, and there is a moderate wind blowing against the runners beginning in the fourth mile (6 km), persisting through the 12th mile (20 km), and returning again in the 20th mile (32 km) where it will be against them all the way to the finish. The start and finish on this course are approximately 7 miles (11 km) apart.

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The organizers knew of no scratches this morning, so the full elite field is expected to start. The elite women, accompanied by seven male pacemakers, will start at Blackheath at 9:00, with the elite men and the recreational runners following 45 minutes later. The lead pacers in the women's race will be attempting to run 69:45 through the half-way, with several groups at slower paces behind them. The men's lead group, led by Abiyote Guta (ETH), Paul Kimugul (KEN) and Daniel Rono (KEN) plan to run 62:30.

The course records here are 2:05:38 set by American Khalid Khannouchi in 2002, the former world record, and 2:15:25 set in a mixed-gender race by Briton Paula Radcliffe in 2003.

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