More than 40,000 runners will set of on the London Marathon today - and could face the hottest weather the race has ever seen.

Participants have been advised to drop their goal times with sweltering highs of 23C possible throughout the world-famous race today.

Organisers are laying on more ice water and run-through shower stations along the 26.2mile course to keep runners cool as they take on their gruelling challenge.

The highest temperature for the event was set in 1996 at 22.7C (72.8F).

And following Thursday’s record-breaking 29.1C (84.3F), the hottst April day for 70 years, Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said runners could see temperatures as high as 22C or 23C.

“But a big caveat here is obviously a weather station temperature record will feel a bit different to what it might feel like trackside where you have the warmth coming up from the tarmac and other people,” he told the Press Association.

“Trackside temperatures will probably feel even warmer than that, so the advice to runners is to look at the forecast and prepare for the fact that this could be one of the warmer marathons.”

However, runners could face a wet finish to the race as the MET Office adds there could be a risk of later showers.

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