Thousands of runners, including a host of famous faces, crossed the London Marathon finish line on Sunday, amid warm temperatures, with many punching the air in triumph on the Mall. Among the notable participants were Wicked actor Cynthia Erivo and former England cricket captain Sir Alastair Cook.
Cynthia Erivo achieved a new personal best, completing the 26.2-mile course in approximately three hours and 21 minutes, significantly improving on her 2022 time of three hours and 35 minutes. After her arduous run, the Oscar-nominated star, visibly exhausted, was helped to a seat before speaking to the media.
Reflecting on her experience, Erivo shared: “There was a little rough moment where I thought it was never going to make it, but then I found a little bit of strength. I’m here, and I feel really proud.” Despite her early 5am start for the marathon, Erivo was scheduled to perform all 23 roles in Dracula at the Noel Coward Theatre in London on Monday evening. “It’s at 7.30pm, so I should be fine,” she quipped, adding: “I may be a little slower than usual.”
When asked about the potential for the London Marathon to be held over two days in the future, Erivo commented: “It would be amazing. I may be just watching next year though.” She expressed her love for running, explaining that it allows her to “zone out” and “just be me,” providing a moment to “centre… I get to think about the things that I want to think about, zone out for a second, meditate for a second.”
The distinctive Peppa Pig theme tune heralded the arrival of children’s TV character Daddy Pig at the finish line, accompanied by “The Body Coach” Joe Wicks. The pair completed the course in five hours and 51 minutes, running in support of the National Deaf Children’s Society, following a storyline in Peppa Pig that revealed George Pig is moderately deaf.
Post-race, Wicks conveyed his immense pride in Daddy Pig, praising his dedication in training and his impressive performance despite the warm conditions. He noted the crowd’s reaction: “It’s lovely when people say ‘Joe!’ and give me a little cheer, but 99 per cent of it was ‘Daddy Pig, give us a wave!’, kids smiling, kids getting excited. So I rode off the energy of Daddy Pig today, and it was great.”
When questioned about other animated characters he might like to run alongside, Wicks responded: “Who can top Daddy Pig? There aren’t many people… maybe one day, when Peppa’s older, she might run with me as well.” He also addressed social media speculation regarding Daddy Pig’s identity, stating that while social media has been “great at stirring up conspiracies,” “Daddy Pig is a pig and that is it. There’s no human being involved.”
Sir Alastair Cook, upon finishing his race, declared the finish line as his favourite part. “Apart from that, just seeing the number of people that come out,” he added. He found a moment of personal joy at the 20-mile mark: “I’d just say, seeing my little boy (Jack) and my family at around about the 20-mile mark, it didn’t inspire me to run any faster, because I was done, but it was nice to see his face.”
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Comparing the marathon to his cricketing career, Sir Alastair remarked: “Cricket’s easy. When you’ve finished, when you’re not very good, you cash out and sit down. There’s no hiding place here.”
Other notable finishers on Sunday included BBC broadcaster Sophie Raworth, F1 driver Sebastian Vettel, former Arsenal and Wales footballer Aaron Ramsey and former British women’s tennis No 1 Laura Robson.
