The 2010 London Marathon

London Marathon

The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

took place on Sunday, 25 April 2010. Up to 36,000 people are thought to have taken part, a record for the event. The men's event was won by Tsegaye Kebede

Tsegaye Kebede

Tsegaye Kebede Wordofa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including marathons. He quickly rose to become a prominent distance runner after his international debut at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2007...

 of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 with a time of 2:05:19 and the women's event by Liliya Shobukhova

Liliya Shobukhova

Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova is a Russian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events....

 of Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 with a time of 2:22:00. Shobukhova became the first Russian to win the event while Kebede became the first non-Kenyan to win the men's event in seven years. The men's wheelchair event was won by Josh Cassidy

Josh Cassidy

Josh Cassidy is a Canadian athlete from Oakville, Ontario, and winner of the men's wheelchair event at the 2010 London Marathon.Cassidy completed the course with a time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and 21 seconds. Cassidy, born in Ottawa and aged 25 as of April 2010, studied design at...

 of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 with a time of 1:35:21 while Wakako Tsuchida

Wakako Tsuchida

is an athlete from Tokyo, Japan, who is an accomplished women's wheelchair marathoner and ice sledge racer. She was the first professional wheelchair athlete from Japan and the first Japanese athlete to win gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics...

 of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 won the women's wheelchair event.

The event saw 74 world record

World record

A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...

 attempts, including one involving 34 runners bound together by bungee cord to form a "human caterpillar", among whom was Princess Beatrice of York

Princess Beatrice of York

Princess Beatrice of York is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York...

, the fifth in line to the British throne

Monarchy of the United Kingdom

The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...

, who became the first royal

British Royal Family

The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...

 to participate in the marathon. Of the attempts, 41 were successful. The marathon was sponsored by Sir Richard Branson

Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, best known for his Virgin Group of more than 400 companies....

's Virgin Group

Virgin Group

Virgin Group Limited is a British branded venture capital conglomerate organisation founded by business tycoon Richard Branson. The core business areas are travel, entertainment and lifestyle. Virgin Group's date of incorporation is listed as 1989 by Companies House, who class it as a holding...

, having signed a five-year contract, taking over from previous sponsors, Flora

Flora (margarine)

Flora is a brand of margarine, sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia. It is produced by Unilever and sold in other parts of the world under the brand name of Becel...

. Branson also ran the marathon for his first time.

Prior to the marathon, there had been concerns that the air-travel disruption

Air travel disruption after the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption

In response to concerns that volcanic ash ejected during the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland would damage aircraft engines, the controlled airspace of many European countries was closed to instrument flight rules traffic, resulting in the largest air-traffic shut-down since World War II...

 caused by the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull

2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull

The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull were volcanic events at Eyjafjöll in Iceland which, although relatively small for volcanic eruptions, caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over an initial period of six days in April 2010. Additional localised disruption...

 could disrupt the event, though many athletes from outside of the United Kingdom were brought in by an aircraft specially chartered from Spain.

Both of the 2009 winners, Samuel Wanjiru

Samuel Wanjiru

Samuel Kamau Wanjiru was a Kenyan athlete, who specialized in long distance running. He became a professional at a young age and broke the world record in the half marathon when he was 18 years old...

 and Irina Mikitenko, were present to defend their titles. However, neither athlete managed to finish the race as they both stopped around the mid-way point.

Elite races

Elite Men

Position	Athlete	Nationality	Time
1	Tsegaye Kebede Tsegaye Kebede Tsegaye Kebede Wordofa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running events, including marathons. He quickly rose to become a prominent distance runner after his international debut at the Amsterdam Marathon in 2007...		2:05:19
2	Emmanuel Mutai		2:06:23
3	Jaouad Gharib Jaouad Gharib Jaouad Gharib is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. Winner of the 2003 World Championships and 2005 World Championships over the distance, he is also notable because he only began running seriously at the age of twenty-two...	Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...	2:06:55
4	Abderrahime Bouramdane Abderrahime Bouramdane Abderrahime Bouramdane is a Moroccan long-distance runner who competes in marathons. He represented Morocco at the 2008 Beijing Olympics...	Morocco Morocco Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...	2:07:33
5	Abel Kirui Abel Kirui Abel Kirui is a male long-distance runner from Kenya who competes in marathons. He had back-to-back wins in the World Championships Marathon in 2009 and 2011...		2:08:04
6	Marilson Gomes dos Santos Marílson Gomes dos Santos Marílson Gomes dos Santos is a Brazilian long-distance runner and winner of the 2006 and 2008 New York City Marathon, with times of 2:09:58 and 2:08:43, respectively...		2:08:46
7	Zersenay Tadese	Eritrea Eritrea Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...	2:12:03
8	Andrew Lemoncello Andrew Lemoncello Andrew Lemoncello is a Scottish long distance runner who competes in the 3000 metres steeplechase and the marathon events. He won a team junior gold medal at the 2001 European Cross Country Championships and won a scholarship to attend Florida State University in 2004...		2:13:40
9	Yonas Kifle Yonas Kifle Yonas Kifle is an Eritrean runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres, the half marathon and cross-country running. He was born in Adi Billai. He has represented Eritrea at the Olympics on three occasions; in 2000, 2004 and 2008...	Eritrea Eritrea Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...	2:14:39
10	Andi Jones Andi Jones Andrew Jones is an English athlete who specialises in road, cross country and mountain / fell running, competing for England & Great Britain. In 2003 he finished 4th in the WMRA World Mountain Trophy in Alaska. Closer to home he competes for Salford Harriers, where he is coached by Bob Merrell...		2:16:38

Elite Women

Position	Athlete	Nationality	Time
1	Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova is a Russian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events....		2:22:00
2	Inga Abitova Inga Abitova Inga Eduardovna Abitova is a Russian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 10,000 metres and the marathon. She was the 2006 European Champion in the 10,000 m and reached the final at the 2008 Summer Olympics...		2:22:19
3	Aselefech Mergia Aselefech Mergia Aselefech Mergia Medessa is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.She began taking part in professional road races in 2006, starting with a seventh place finish at the Delhi Half Marathon....		2:22:38
4	Bezunesh Bekele Bezunesh Bekele Bezunesh Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in cross-country running and marathons.She was born in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa...		2:23:17
5	Askale Tafa		2:24:39
6	Yukiko Akaba Yukiko Akaba is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the 10,000 metres, half marathon and marathon events.She won the silver medal in half marathon at the 1999 Summer Universiade. At the 2001 Summer Universiade she finished eighth in the 5000 metres and won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres...		2:24:55
7	Xue Bai		2:25:18
8	Kim Smith		2:25:21
9	Mari Ozaki Mari Ozaki is a Japanese long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon race.She was the 2002 winner of the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, taking the title in 1:09:33...		2:25:43
10	Mara Yamauchi Mara Yamauchi Mara Rosalind Yamauchi is a British long distance track, and road running athlete. She currently holds the second fastest time by a British woman over the marathon, behind the world-record holder, Paula Radcliffe....		2:26:16

Wheelchair races

Men's event

Position	Athlete	Nationality	Time
1	Josh Cassidy Josh Cassidy Josh Cassidy is a Canadian athlete from Oakville, Ontario, and winner of the men's wheelchair event at the 2010 London Marathon.Cassidy completed the course with a time of 1 hour, 35 minutes and 21 seconds. Cassidy, born in Ottawa and aged 25 as of April 2010, studied design at...		01:35:21
2	Marcel Hug Marcel Hug Marcel Hug is a Paralympian athlete from Switzerland competing mainly in category T54 wheelchair racing events.Marcel competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics as part of the Swiss relay teams in the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams as wellas the 400m and 5000m but it was in the 800m and 1500m where he...		01:36:07
3	David Weir		01:37:01
4	Kota Hokinoue		01:40:59
5	Kurt Fearnley Kurt Fearnley Kurt Fearnley OAM is an Australian wheelchair racer, who competes at the Olympic level. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 5th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500m wheelchair...		01:41:37
6	Ernst van Dyk Ernst van Dyk Ernst Van Dyk is a South African wheelchair racer. He has won a record 9 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. He is also the current world record holder for men's wheelchair marathon from his record-setting race in the 2004 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds...		01:44:11
7	Masazumi Soejima Masazumi Soejima is a Paralympian athlete from Japan competing mainly in category T54 long distance events.Masazumi has competed in the marathon in both the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics, 10000m in 2004, 5000m and 1500m in 2008 but it was as part of the Japanese 4x400m relay in 2004 that he won his only medal, a...		01:44:35
8	Roger Verdaguer		01:44:36
9	Joshua George		01:46:57
10	Mark Telford		01:48:43

Women's event

Position	Athlete	Nationality	Time
1	Wakako Tsuchida Wakako Tsuchida is an athlete from Tokyo, Japan, who is an accomplished women's wheelchair marathoner and ice sledge racer. She was the first professional wheelchair athlete from Japan and the first Japanese athlete to win gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics...		01:52:33
2	Sandra Graf Sandra Graf Sandra Graf is a Swiss wheelchair athlete. Graf competes in wheelchair races of a variety of distances. She has twice put her career on hold to have children. In 2003 a lung embolism set back her training and kept her from competing in the marathon and 5000 meter distances, although she still...		01:52:34
3	Amanda McGrory Amanda McGrory -Biography:At the age of five, Amanda contracted a rare virus which left her unable to walk. Her parents say she became depressed but that all changed after Amanda’s parents introduced her to the Variety Club Camp and Developmental Center. There, Amanda met other children with various disabilities...		01:52:36
4	Nikki Emmerson		02:17:46
5	Sarah Piercy Sarah Piercy Sarah Piercy is a British wheelchair athlete. At the age of 19 and in her first attempt at the race, she won the 2000 London Marathon women's wheelchair competition after a tire puncture slowed defending champion Tanni Grey-Thompson. She has competed in a further four London Marathons, but has...		02:33:50
6	Shelly Woods Shelly Woods Shelly Woods is an elite British Paralympic athlete from the suburb of Layton in Blackpool, Lancashire.Shelly started using a wheelchair at the age of 11 after a heavy fall which injured her spinal cord...		02:45:40