FALSE: Photo does not show the drought situation in Embolioi, Kajiado County, in October 2022
Admin The annual London marathon event has been cancelled for regular runners and instead only elite runners will participate on October 4th at St James Park, it was announced on Friday.
Organisers had hoped revolutionary Bluetooth technology would enable the race to go ahead in a socially distanced manner, but those plans have been scrapped after a rise in Corona virus cases in the UK.
“Plans had been made impossible by the logistical challenges of managing spectators and emergency service access across London, especially given teh recent cancellation of spectators at other sporting events. Instead, it will only be the elite athletes that tackle a spectator-free course – following a different route to the usual one used for the London Marathon.” A confident event director Hugh Brasher said
Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge who won the race last year will have the opportunity to square it out with Ethiopian sensation Kenenisa Bekele.
The 38 year old Ethiopian long-distance runner, is also the current world record and Olympic record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10,000-metre events. He won the gold medal in both the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
35 year old Eliud Kipchoge is the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39, set on 16 September 2018, at the 2018 Berlin Marathon. His run broke the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds.
Last year, the Kenyan won the London marathon in a course record time of two hours two minutes 37 seconds.
The much-anticipated contest between Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele will take place on a bio-secure closed course.
That route will consist of laps of roughly 1.5 miles, taking in The Mall, Horse Guards Parade, Birdcage Walk and the spur road running adjacent to Buckingham Palace.
Reduced fields of 30-40 athletes will also compete for the elite women’s and wheelchair titles on 4 October.
The 2021 race, meanwhile, will be on 3 October rather than a date in April.
By Shadrack Andenga Odinga
