Highest number of Pakistanis to take part in London Marathon 2024 tomorrow

A record number of Pakistan runners are set to participate in the iconic 2024 London Marathon set to be held in the British capital tomorrow.

At least 27 Pakistani runners, including expats, will take part in the prestigious  marathon. 

First held in 1981, the marathon has become one of the most popular running events owing to its route featuring  iconic landmarks with the likes of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the Tower of London and the Canary Wharf and others.

The event will feature Pakistani marathoners hailing from from Karachi, Islamabad, Dubai, the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway. 

Journalist Rehman Azhar will be running his third World major in London, followed by Berlin and Chicago in 2023.

Babar Ghias and Jamal Khan, the Pakistani expats from Chicago and New York, are also on the track to complete their Six Star journey and the London Marathon will bring them one step closer to their objective.

Co-founder of Islamabad Running Club, Bilal Ehsan, will also be running the London Marathon with the event being his third world major after New York and Berlin.

Several Pakistani women marathon runners will be part of the London Marathon in 2024. Many of the participants were part of Pakistan’s largest contingent in the Berlin marathon of 2023.

Semeena Khan, a British Pakistani marathon runner and coach based in England, is returning to the London Marathon representing "Muslim Runners" — an award-winning running community of the UK.

Two couples, Uzma Abid and Abdul Samee and Zain Anwar and Nada Anwar, who finished the Berlin Marathon, are also set to join the London Marathon together.

First marathon since Kiptum's demise

The 2024 London Marathon will be the first one since the death of Kelvin Kiptum, the winner of last year's event, who passed away in a car accident in Kenya in February.

A tribute will also be paid to Kelvin Kiptum, who set the course record with a time of 2hr 1min 25sec last year, on Sunday.

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan and actor Phil Dunster will be among the celebrities who will take part in the marathon while also making their London debut.

How to watch, track runners

Those who wish to watch the event can download the London Marathon application which even allows users to search for a runner using either their name or bib number.

Furthermore, users can also create a tracking list to follow multiple runners.

The London Marathon will be broadcast live on BBC as well as BBC iPlayer and the Red Button.

Leading entries

Women

Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53

Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04

Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18

Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07

Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:17:09

Men

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41

Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 2:03:11

Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39

Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48

Kinde Atanaw (ETH) 2:03:51