Over 800 runners joined the Six Star Hall of Fame on Sunday at the TCS London Marathon as the grand total went soaring past the 22,000 mark.
Runners battled high temperatures and bright sunshine for most of the day as organisers aimed to topple the current record for finishers of 55,647 held by fellow Abbott World Marathon Major the TCS New York City Marathon.
Among the runners to receive the Six Star Medal on The Mall was British broadcaster and bowel cancer survivor Adele Roberts.
The 46-year-old earned a new Guinness World Record for the first and fastest woman with a stoma to earn the Six Star medal.
“I have done them all. In eight months. I hope it shows people you can get your life back on track post cancer,” she told BBC One afterwards. “Running has been my medicine physically and mentally.”
Kristina Coccoluto from Boston, USA also earned her sixth star, having taken up running after undergoing a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy.
The mum of three said: “Right after my surgery, taking charge of my health was the best thing I could’ve ever done. It lead me to running. I felt like if I can run a marathon, I can do anything!”
Her journey also helped her raise over $100,000USD for breast cancer charities.
Joining Kristina in the Six Star Hall of Fame was Mel Easton from Auckland, New Zealand.
The 68-year-old took up running at the age of 55 after “getting drunk with a friend,” and completed his first Major in 2015 at the BMW BERLIN MARATHON.
“It’s a great way to start a holiday. You start it with a run, then you have the fun! I thought I was going to be alright having trained through a New Zealand summer, but it was hot out there!
“You go out there and prove yourself again and again, and it’s the only sport where a muppet like me can be on the same playing field as Eliud Kipchoge.”
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