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". It’s the same philosophy as training on hills or a high incline on the tread for a hilly race course, or training on flat surface for a flat, fast race course. “You want to make sure you’re simulating the course that you’re going to race on to the best of your ability,” says Kris Mendoza, an ultramarathoner with Merrell and winner of the World’s Toughest Mudder in 2018. “That’s going to help your body adapt to the different stimulus, like the changes in elevation and the uneven terrain.” Don’t Get Hung Up On Pace In his absence, defending London Marathon champion Sisay Lemma and Ethiopian compatriot Kenenisa Bekele are among the favourites for the men's title, while the women's race is headlined by last year's winner Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya and Ethiopia's Yalemzerf Yehualaw, who set the fastest debut time for a marathon. If you're running on Sunday, we hate to break it to you - there is a chance you're going to get wet.

Organisers say they are doing "everything we can" to help runners facing travel disruption due to a planned strike by rail workers, with 90% of rail services not running on Saturday. Services are also due to start later than usual on the morning of the race. The adidas Marathon Tech trainer puts an updated spin on the classic 3 stripes trail runner from 1979. 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. A 9-minute mile on the trail may feel way tougher than a 6-minute mile on the road, so “you should know what your marathon effort, or a 4 out of 10, feels like and what your 7 out of 10 effort feels like, and you can judge your performance from there,” she adds.Thinking about taking your marathoning off the road? Here’s what you need to know before you start racing trails. What Does a Trail Marathon Training Plan Look Like? 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. 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.

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 forecastWhen it comes to retro runners, re-releases and updated classics, adidas don’t really mess about. The same can be said for some of their latest releases to be introduced to 80s Casual Classics which includes the adidas Marathon Tech and some updated colourways of the adidas Forest Grove or Oregon as it was once known. Throughout the 70s and 80s the German sportswear brand stamped their 3 stripes logo on the running world releasing a range of running styles for joggers, marathon runners and trail blazers. The retro runner was born from this era, with adidas introducing legendary 3 stripes silhouettes like the New York, the Boston Super, the Atlanta, the Los Angeles, the ZX Series, the Marathon TR and the Oregon to name a few. It wasn’t just about making trainers any more, it was about becoming the best running trainer brand on the planet and adidas gave it everything they had!

Above: The adidas Marathon Tech & adidas Forest Grove trainers both now available from 80s Casual Classics.

Breathability

The Marathon is now re-introduced to 80s Casual Classics with the latest Marathon Tech version. Highlights of the updated trail trainer include mesh uppers and suede overlays with active orange 3 stripes to each side. A nod is given to Bill Dellinger with a webbing print added to the midsole alongside BOOST sole technology and original trefoil branding to the tongue. A great ‘old meets new’ addition to any 3 stripes collectors trainer wardrobe. But running a marathon on the trail isn’t exactly the same thing as running one on the road. A trail run lets you step outside the pace/splits construct of a road race because your mile pace is dictated more by the terrain than anything else. And while there are pluses (like less impact on your body versus running on pavement and better scenery), a trail marathon also comes with unique elevation changes, different strength requirements, and less aid on the course. 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.