Many struggled with the heat at the hottest London Marathon on Record

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of the capital on Sunday to cheer on friends, family – and complete strangers – who were running in the hottest London Marathon ever. As the mercury hit 74F runners who had trained throughout Britain’s particularly long and cold winter struggled to cope with the heat. Warnings from organizers about the heat failed to deter some entrants from wearing costumes and fancy dress, which ranged from trees and bananas to rhinos. An officer for the St John’s ambulance said more runners needed treatment this year than in past races. As 71-year-old Kathrine Switzer – who in 1967 became the first woman to officially compete in the Boston Marathon – passed the 11-mile mark, three runners required medical attention, including one who collapsed against the barrier. At the nine-mile mark, the newspaper columnist Bryony Gordon and plus-size model Jada Sezer were all smiles as they went past in their underwear. Raising money for Heads Together, the pair vowed to run in their knickers to prove that anyone, no matter their size or shape, could compete in the race.

posted Sunday April 22nd