Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah had been due to headline this year's elite men's race but withdrew earlier in the week because of a hip injury, while women's world record holder Brigid Kosgei - a two-time winner in London - was also forced to pull out. The adidas Marathon Tech trainer puts an updated spin on the classic 3 stripes trail runner from 1979. The 2022 marathon also sees the introduction of more inclusive policies. These include enhanced deferral options for pregnant or postpartum participants, and entries for assisted participants. On a trail, one mile could cover a 2,000 foot elevation gain and the next could be totally flat; you can’t compare how long it takes you do each one. Instead of focusing on your splits, pay attention to your effort level. Make sure you’re including at least one day of strength training in your training plan, with just 10 minutes of core work.

Road runners tend to obsess over their pace, splits, and finishing time. But “the first piece of advice I would give someone training for a trail marathon is don’t worry about your pace, because every mile is created differently,” says Mendoza. The current forecast suggests rain showers and light winds for London, with highs of 16C. Coverage details

My Account

A strong core is also going to help keep you upright when you hit bumps on the trail. “Your body takes a different kind of impact on a trail than on a flat road, because you’re working so many more muscles that connect at different points of your body,” says Woods. Since your core is your center of power, it needs to be able to withstand the extra stress.

The oldest participant is 89-year-old Koichi Kitabatake from Japan, while Alex Horsley from Bournemouth will celebrate his 18th birthday on marathon day. He is one of 205 birthday runners who will hope to be on the start line on Sunday. Eliud Kipchoge, who broke his own men's marathon world record last week in Berlin, is not taking part but will be in London to present medals to winners in the Mini Marathon on Saturday. The adidas Marathon Tech trainer draws original archive design inspiration from the adidas Marathon TR trainer, a trainer which saw Mr 3 Stripes himself, Adi Dassler, still involved in the design process. The Marathon TR was also one of Dassler’s final adidas projects before he sadly passed away in 1978. The trail runner design was first introduced in 1979 and started a new wave of retro runners, with its famous grippy outsole becoming an overnight hit with trail runners all over the world. Other styles that took the Marathon name included the Marathon 80, a running style which came a year after the original TR with a similar style mesh and suede upper but with a less trail focused outsole. It is also worth pointing out that the Marathon TR also included the famous Dellinger webbing to the midsole, a sole cushioning system designed specifically for runners needs. This year, a small section of the marathon route will be turned into Rainbow Row to "celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community, promote inclusivity and create a carnival atmosphere for participants as they pass through the final part of their marathon journey". Our iteration of the 40-year-old runner paints the silhouette in a striking yellow and red colourway. A comfy blend of breathable mesh and suede builds the models uppers, with soft nylon employed for the tongue. Underfoot, we’ve painted the runner’s protruding Trefoil print outsole in a gum shade – a first for the Marathon TR.

Bottom Line

About 7,000 children are expected to take part across one-mile and 2.6km distances, but the hope is that this will increase to 50,000 by 2030. Weather forecast