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What you need to know ahead of 2020 London Marathon

The 2020 London Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 4, but what do viewers and punters need to know ahead of the 40th staging of the race?

While the staging of the most prestigious road race in the world usually involves masses of people raising money for a wide range of charities, the 2020 London Marathon is being solely held for the elite runners in the world, continuing a tradition for the 40th consecutive year. Changes have inevitably needed to be made in order to adapt to new protocols, but race organisers have gone that extra mile to ensure that many of the planet's biggest stars are making an appearance on Sunday.

When punters press ahead with their sports betting ahead of the weekend, it will quickly become noticeable that British star Mo Farah is not taking part in his home race, instead only being used as the pacemaker. The absence of the multiple-time Olympic gold medallist is a blow to the television audience, and it effectively leaves what bookmakers predict will be a two-horse race between Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele. The latter is widely regarded as the best marathon runner in history, claiming the Olympic title in 2016 and four previous London Marathons, while Bekele was the victor in Berlin last year.

With Kipchoge having not lost a marathon race in seven years, there is an argument that betting odds of 3/10 are slightly on the generous side, and many punters will look to snap that up in the hours before the race. However, there will also be those who are willing to take a risk on the 11/4 being offered for Bekele. Although being 38 years of age is not in his favour, it was only last year when he recorded the second-fastest time in history, something which should still be taken into account given that it came at a similar time of year to the event at the weekend. For those wishing to get value for both the winner and a top-three finish, 2019 runner-up Mosinet Geremew may be your best option, with the World Championships silver medallist available at 15/2 and 1/2 respectively.

While Kipchoge and Bekele are attracting attention because of the prospect of a memorable battle taking place in England's capital, as much focus is being placed on the choice of footwear. Kipchoge will wear trainers similar to the ones which were worn for his famous 'race against the clock' in Vienna, footwear which have created controversy due to the alleged benefits which are said to come from wearing them. However, rather than following Kipchoge in wearing a version of the Nike Alphafly Next%, Bekele is insisting on sticking with the trainers which took him agonisingly close to the world record. Kipchoge has suggested that the sport needs to keep moving forward, hinting that the spirit of running should not be hurt, whereas Bekele wants more time before deciding whether to switch footwear in the long term.

The women's race should also turn out to be a competitive affair with Brigid Kosgei under pressure to continue her dominance after the prolonged break. Before the layoff, the Kenyan held a record of four wins and two runner-ups from half-a-dozen outings, making her by far and away the star of the women's discipline. At 8/11, bookmakers still expect the 26-year-old to adapt to the recent changes, but plenty of thought will be given to her rivals. Vivian Cheruiyot, who finished almost two minutes adrift of Kosgei last April, is priced at 5/1, while 5/2 shot Ruth Chepngetich is looking to build on her gold medal at the World Championships in Doha.

Unlike in previous years, punters will not be able to take previous form on the traditional course into account after the race was switched to St James's Park. Rather than having to encounter the set-out course on just one occasion, runners will do 19 laps, something which adds a unique aspect to proceedings. Generally speaking, that should not hinder any of the runners, but there may be certain downhills and inclines where some participants look to gain an upper hand. Runners must also have to make do without the support of the London crowd, which has been known to spur on racers when they are going through low moments or need that extra surge of adrenaline during the closing stages. However, all runners will get to finish on the Mall, as they would any other year.

A further change brought in for this year is the start time for the respective races. The women's version has tended to get underway around 9am in previous years, but they will have to be at the start line for 7.15am on Sunday. The men's event is due to start three hours later at 10.15am, presumably when each of the female competitors have completed their race. The wheelchair disciplines have previously gotten underway before the men's races, but all participants will now have to wait until a new time of 1.10pm.

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Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge celebrates winning the men's elite race at the 2019 London Marathon on April 28, 2019
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