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On 2 October thousands of people will take part in a huge race across London.

It's called the London Marathon - a 26-mile route, mainly along the River Thames.

Some people run it as a race or to get a personal best, and others do it to raise money for charity.

The London Marathon organisers say more than £1 billion has been raised for charities over the years.

There's also a mini-marathon event, with a 3-mile course for people under 17.

Maybe you know someone who is taking part this year. If so we want your messages for them in the comments below.

A marathon is a 26 mile run - that's more than 42 kilometres!

It's a huge effort and people usually spend months, or even years, training for it.

The world record time for the London marathon for men is 2 hours and 2 minutes, set by Eliud Kipchoge in 2019.

For women, the world record time is 2 hours and 15 minutes. This was set by Paula Radcliffe back in 2003, and no one has been faster than her since!

The fastest man to complete the race in a wheelchair is Marcel Hug - who did it in 1 hour 26 minutes.

Manuela Schär holds the record for the fastest woman to complete the race in a wheelchair - she did it in 1 hour 39 minutes last year.

The first official London Marathon was in 1981 - two runners were inspired by the New York Marathon.

But there had been similar marathons before - such as the London Polytechnic, which started in 1909.

There's lots of different races on - and the main one is the mass race, that the general public get to take part in.

You might have heard of the elite races before - this is where the professional runners get to compete to get the fastest time for the marathon.

Olympic champion Mo Farah usually takes part in the race - but announced this year he has pulled out.

If you're not a professional runner you might be taking on the challenge to raise money for charity.

Also, it's not just the runners who are involved. More than 1,500 volunteers from St. John's Ambulance provide first aid and make sure people are safe.

Is anyone you know taking part in the marathon this year? Leave them a good luck message!