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At 0945 BST the elite men burst from the start line at Greenwich to begin the London Marathon

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The Duke of York gets ready to start off the rest of the runners

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Competing in her first marathon, British track star Paula Radcliffe takes an early lead ahead of her rivals

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Behind the elite athletes are the brave runners in fancy dress, most competing for charity

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Radcliffe produces a blistering run of 2:18:56 which leaves the chasing pack over three minutes adrift

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A world record time from Khalid Khannouchi edges out Kenya's Paul Tergat and Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie

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Track legend and pre-race favourite Gebrselassie settles for third in his marathon debut

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The marathon is gruelling slog at the best of times, but for some it is too much