2018 Was the Hottest London Marathon on Record

The recently-held London Marathon saw more than 40,000 runners partake in the race. The meteorological department was proven right in their projections since the temperatures rose as high as 24.1⁰C on the day. According to the Meteorological Office, the temperatures were recorded in St. James’s Park.

More than 100 people were rushed to hospital for treatment because of heat related complications

However, whilst temperatures had earlier on been projected to be hot; there was a slight caveat in that the course would likely be much hotter. Why? Because of the heat absorbed by the roads and from the other competitors. The Queen kick-started the race from her Windsor Castle at 10:00 BST by pressing a button synchronized with the marathon.

In previous years, the temperatures have been high, however, none compares to this year’s temperatures. Back in 1996, the temperatures at St. James’s Park were 22.6⁰C. During the race, one runner died while 73 had to receive emergency medical attention. They were rushed to a hospital and received treatment in order to recuperate.

Preparation

Hugh Brasher, the London Marathon event director, admittedly confessed that organizers had primed themselves ready for the racing event. So much so that they distributed about four and a half liters of water per person. Despite their valiant efforts, the water ran out at miles, 8, 9 and 10.

Typically, during marathon’s numerous people like to show up in fancy dresses. However, organizers had issued a statement warning people to dress cautiously because of the high temperatures.

Despite the warning, more than 100 people showed up dressed to the nines in an attempt to feature in the Guinness World Records. Common outfits were ski boots, suits of armor and as a Paddington Bear.

All the same, Brasher alluded that the racing event had been thoroughly planned. Irrespective of this, he mentioned that the race organizers were looking to see what changes they could make to next year’s race after learning some vital lessons

Amazingly, Rob Pope successfully to set a new world record time dressed as a film star. He successfully crossed the finish line in a Forrest Gump attire in a time slightly over 2 hours and 36 minutes.

Pope , later on, confessed that he ran 15,000 miles across America after he followed a similar route to Forrest Gump’s. In his revelation, he admitted to not have seen so many people ran a race all at once.

Compared to 2017, the statistics show that an incredible 386,050 people applied to be part of the London Marathon this year, which translates to about a third more than last year’s numbers.

Inspirational Tales

The Olympic champion, Eliud Kipchoge in a time of 2:04:17, won the men’s elite race. Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot won the women’s elite race in a personal best time of 2:18:31

In last year’s showpiece event, David Wyeth and Matthew Rees were in the news because of Mr. Rees kindness. During yesteryear’s race, Rees helped out his fellow competitor cross the finish line. The incident brought the pair together and a friendship blossomed. In this year’s race, the two finished the race in almost identical times after having started together.

Another inspiring story involves Sue Stratchan, who suffers from vascular dementia. She mentioned that she received great support from people along the way. During the race, she received support from people from the Alzheimer’s Research, which compelled her to finish the race in order to represent the community.

Incredibly, 26-year-old Guenigault ran to raise money in support of King’s College Hospital which was instrumental in his recovery after he was stabbed five times with a knife in June last year. He managed to run the race despite not having fully recovered. He received the injury during the London Bridge terror attack during his shift as a police officer.

Other notable heroes were firefighters who were involved in taming the Grenfell Tower blaze. They ran together as a team and successfully raised more than £41,000 that will do the world of good for children affected by the disaster.