Director of the London Marathon, Dave Bedford, has described this year's event as an "amazing" day as he invited both male and female champions to defend their titles in 2011.
Over 36,000 runners completed the London Marathon on 25th April, which was sponsored by Virgin. The 26.2 mile race was won by ethiopian runner Tsegaye Kebede, who crossed the line 2.05.19. At just 9 seconds slower than the current course record, this is the third fastest time since the marathon was first started in 1981.
The official charity for this year's marathon was CLIC Sargent, the UK's children's cancer charity. The funds raised will help to provide nurses and other care professionals for young cancer sufferers across the UK, at every step. This specialist support is of vital importance to recovery and high quality care in hospital, at home and in the community.
Thousands of people ran to raise much needed for a range of charities, many of whom finished the race in fancy dress. Amongst the huge number of personal triumphs throughout the day, a grand total of 18 Guinness World Records were made. These records include tallest giraffe, fastest baby, fastest TV character (a dalek!) and the most linked runners to complete a marathon, as a 34 person human caterpillar. Along with a team of celebrities, famous faces such as Sir Richard Branson and Princess Beatrice also took part, both finishing with very respectable times.
The next marathon will be held on the 17th April 2011 and you can enter by visiting www.virginlondonmarathon.com
