Romesh is taking part this Sunday
Beloved UK comedian Romesh Ranganathan is making his London Marathon debut this year.
He has been a patron of Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) since October 2023 and will be running in support of the mental health helpline charity.
Talking ahead of the race, Romesh told Runner’s World: “Running is something that people had always recommended to me. But as soon as I had a go at it, I found it unbearable.
“I’d go out for a run and be blowing after two minutes, then start walking, run a bit more, start blowing again. I’d come back and just feel absolutely battered.
“Then somebody gave me the basic tip of just slowing down a little bit and getting on top of my breathing.
“That is the single most helpful tip I’ve ever had; suddenly I went from someone who couldn’t face running to seeing all of the benefits of it. That’s not to say that it suddenly became easy, because even over the past few days I’ve had nightmares.”
Expect a chilly start on Sunday
The Met Office has warned those taking part in the London Marathon of a chilly start to Sunday morning.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin gave his weather forecast for the London Marathon 2024.
He said: “If you’ve been training hard for the marathon you’ve probably been training in the rain and under the influence of low pressure.
“Our weather patterns are shifting this weekend and this high moving in will bring many of us a fine day on Saturday.
“Now that high is sticking around for Sunday and the big race but as it starts to edge back a bit further west, it does mean across the southeast there will be a bit of a northerly breeze and quite a lot of cloud around.”
In pictures: Snaps from last year’s race
Here are some of the best snaps from the 2023 London Marathon.
Which celebs are taking part in Sunday’s race?
A host of celebrities are taking part in Sunday’s London Marathon.
From football club owners to soap icons, it’s set to be a star-studded race.
Here are some of the names you might see on Sunday:
- Romesh Ranganathan
- Emma Barton and Jamie Borthwick
- Chloe Meadows
- Phil Dunster
- Natalie Pinkham
- Joshua Patterson
- Izzy Christiansen
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe