- London Marathon tracker: How to follow running progress
- Why the first two-hour marathon could be round the corner
- Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge wins men's race in a time of 2:04:27
- Mo Farah finishes third in a British record 2:06:32
- Mary Keitany fails in bid to beat Paula Radcliffe's world record
- Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot win the women's race in 2:18.31
- Britain's David Weir wins men's wheelchair race for eighth time
Mo Farah has become the fastest marathon runner in British history as he produced a promising and gutsy performance to finish third in his second London Marathon.
A “knackered” Farah crossed the line in a time of 2:06:32, comfortably clear of Steve Jones’ 33-year-old British record of 2:07:13, despite two mix-ups with water bottles in which he said marathon staff were taking pictures rather than helping him find his drink.
The race was won by Eliud Kipchoge, the Olympic champion and the man considered by many to be the greatest marathon runner ever, in a time of 2:04:27.
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After a stunning start, it had appeared for a while that Kipchoge may be in contention to break the marathon world record, but he was unable to maintain his speed over the final few miles in scorching conditions.
Farah, who finished in a disappointing 8th place on his London Marathon debut in 2014, delivered a much-improved performance on his return to the capital’s tarmac after three months of intensive training in Ethiopia.
He had vowed to stick with the leaders, no matter the pace, and was true to his word as he remained with the leading pack for much of the race despite Kipchoge leading the contenders in a blistering start.
“They were going for world record pace,” Farah said. “So it was do or die. I went with it and hung on as much as I could. It was ridiculous.”
The 35 year-old is now fully focused on marathon running after retiring from a track career in which he won 10 world and Olympic titles, and this was an encouraging start to his full-time career over the longer distance.
The impressive time came despite Farah’s rhythm being disrupted by two mix-ups involving water bottles as he struggled to identify his drink on two separate occasions.
“The drinks stations were confusing,” he said. “The staff were helpful at the end but at the beginning they were trying to take a picture rather than giving me the drink.
“I was saying to the people on motorbikes to tell the staff to be a bit helpful instead of taking pictures. I wasn’t wasting energy, I just needed a drink. I had to get it right.”
Paula Radcliffe, the wife of Farah’s new coach Gary Lough, said she had “never seen Farah look this tired before” as he crossed the finish line with a grimace on his face, before collapsing to the ground a few metres later.
Farah was pipped to second place by Tola Shura Kitata, who produced a personal best of 2:05:00, but the British racer will be enthused by a run in which he finished well clear of Kenenisa Bekele, the legendary Ethiopian who crossed the line in sixth.
Mary Keitany failed to challenge Paula Radcliffe’s 15-year-old world record as she faded out of contention before finishing in a disappointing fifth in the women’s race.
Radcliffe had said before the race that she believed her 2003 time of 2hr 15min 25secs was under real threat from the Kenyan, who had won the 2017 marathon in the second-fastest time in history.
And Keitany, 36, looked set to produce a genuine challenge after blitzing clear in a remarkably quick start to the race.
But she was caught by the eventual winner, fellow Kenyan Vivian Cheruiyot, after dramatically losing her rhythm with around 10 miles remaining.
Cheruiyot, 34, crossed the line in 2:18:31 after producing an astute performance a year after finishing fourth in her first London Marathon.
Britain's David Weir won the men's wheelchair race for the eighth time after a thrilling sprint finish.
The 38-year-old pipped Switzerland's Marcel Hug into second place, with Daniel Romanchuk of the USA third.
The leaders were well inside the course record time of one hour 28 minutes and 57 seconds during the first half of the race, in what were fine conditions for wheelchair racing.
But as the race wore on it became a tactical affair as the top three braced themselves for a late burst.
And just like last year, six-time Paralympic gold medalist Weir edged out two-time winner Hug to claim victory in a time of 1:31.15.
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