Meet the celebrities running the 2017 London Marathon

Chris Evans

Who? Chris Evans is one of the country’s best-known presenters, hosting his Radio 2 Breakfast Show since 2010. He first shot to fame as the face of Channel 4’s Big Breakfast and has also fronted TFI Friday and The One Show. Last year he helped relaunch Top Gear with Matt LeBlanc but sensationally quit after just one series and a string of bad reviews.

First marathon? No. Chris was a surprise entrant in the 2015 marathon and repeated his feat in 2016. His personal best is 4:39:53.

Who is he running for? BBC Children in Need

Sophie Raworth

Who? Sophie Raworth is a journalist and broadcaster, who anchors BBC News at One on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as regularly hosting BBC News at Six. Raworth also presents BBC programmes Watchdog and Crimewatch.

First marathon? No. Sophie is an avid marathon-runner; 2017 will be her sixth London Marathon, with her personal best an impressive 3:35:20.

Sian Williams

Who? Sian Williams is a journalist and current affairs presenter, who is well known for her work with the BBC. Having previously presented weekday editions of BBC Breakfast as well as the main news bulletins on BBC1, Williams is now the main presenter of 5 News at 5.

First marathon? No. Sian has participated in the London Marathon several times, achieving a time of 4:26:45 in 2013.

Who is she running for? Heads Together

Jenni Falconer

Who? Jenni Falconer is a radio and television presenter, who currently fronts the early breakfast slot on weekdays and Sunday mornings on Heart FM, as well as regularly contributing to ITV daytime show This Morning.

First Marathon? No. 2017 will be the sixth time Jenni has run the London Marathon, with her personal best an impressive 3:31:02 in 2010.

Who is she running for? Cancer Research UK

Jonathan Pearce

Who? Jonathan Pearce is a well-known football commentator for the BBC, having worked for both Radio 5 Live and Match of the Day.

First Marathon? No, this will be Pearce’s sixth London Marathon.

Who is he running for? The Lily Foundation, a charity he helped set up in memory of his niece, Lily, who died from mitochondrial disease aged just eight months.

Nina Hossain

Who? Nina Hossain is a journalist and presenter, who works as the main newscaster on ITV Lunchtime News and lead anchor on ITV News London.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is she running for? Whizz-Kidz

Marcus Bean

Who? Since winning Channel 4’s Iron Chef UK in 2010, Bean has become one of the UK’s most popular celebrity chefs. He is a regular on ITV’s This Morning and also hosts BBC Good Food shows.

First Marathon? No. Marcus has run the London Marathon before, completing the race with a time of 3:57:03 in 2015.

Who is he running for? NSPCC

Gilles Peterson

Who? Gilles is a well-respected DJ, having worked at both Kiss FM and BBC Radio 1, and owner of the record label Brownswood Recordings. He also set up music festival Worldwide which takes place each year in the south of France.

First marathon? No. Gilles has run the London Marathon before, finishing in 4 hours 43 minutes and 9 seconds in 2011.

Who is he running for? The Steve Reid Foundation

Sean Fletcher

Who? Sports presenter Fletcher has presented on both BBC Breakfast and Sky Sports, before moving to ITV’s Good Morning Britain in 2014.

First Marathon? No. Sean has run the London Marathon twice before, in 2015 and 2016.

Who is he running for? Heads Together

Mark Chapman

Who? Broadcaster Mark Chapman is currently a presenter on Match of the Day 2 on Sunday nights, as well as being one of the main sports presenters on BBC Radio 5 Live.

First marathon? No. Mark has ran the London Marathon twice before, in 2008 and 2010.

Who is he running for? The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

ATHLETES

James Cracknell

Who? Former professional rower Cracknell is a double Olympic gold medalist and multiple rowing world champion. Since retiring from professional sport, he has presented on ITV and Channel 4.

First marathon? No. James has run the London Marathon several times before, completing the marathon with a time of 02:50:43 in 2015.

Who is he running for? Headway and RNLI

Quinton Fortune

Who? Former footballer Fortune is best-known for his seven years playing for Manchester United, as well as twice representing South Africa at the World Cup.

First marathon? This will be Fortune’s first London Marathon, after running the Greater Manchester Marathon in 2012.

Who is he running for? Manchester United Foundation

Helen Glover

Who? Helen Glover is a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team, and currently ranked as the number 1 female rower in the world. In partnership with Heather Stanning, Glover is a double Olympic gold medallist.

First marathon? Yes

Who is she running for? Brain and Spine Foundation

Heather Stanning

Who? Alongside Helen Glover, Stanning is a double Olympic gold medallist. In late 2016, after their victory in Rio, Stanning retired from rowing and returned to the army.

First marathon? Yes

Who is she running for? Royal British Legion Industries

Shane Williams

Who? Williams is a former Welsh rugby league player who has taken part in three World Cups, won two Six Nations championships and was named World Rugby’s Player of the Year in 2008.

First marathon? No. Shane has run the London Marathon twice before, in 2015 and 2016. He finished with an impressive time of 3 hours 35 minutes in 2015.

Who is he running for? Velindre Cancer Centre

Chrissie Wellington

Who? Chrissie is a former professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion.

First marathon? Yes

Who is she running for? Cancer Research UK and Epilepsy

Jamie Peacock

Who? Former rugby league player Jamie Peacock is one of the most successful players in Super League history, having captained both England and Great Britain at an international level. Peacock also won the 2003 Man of Steel award.

First marathon? Yes

Who is he running for? Sue Ryder Wheatfields

Pamela Relph

Who? Relph is an adaptive rower and two-time Paralympic gold medallist, winning gold medals at London 2012 and Rio 2016 – the first rower to achieve that feat.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is she running for? Arthritis Research UK

Keith Senior

Who? Senior is a former rugby league player who is widely considered one of the greatest players of the Super League era; he represented both England and Great Britain at international level.

First marathon? No. Senior has completed the course three times before.

Who is he running for? The Laura Crane Youth Cancer Trust

Kevin Sinfield

Who? The former rugby league player represented both England and Great Britain at international level, and captained the Leeds Rhinos in Super League.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is he running for? Prostate Cancer UK

Danny Mills

Who? Former footballer Mills represented England at the 2002 World Cup and is best-known for his time at Leeds United and Manchester City.

First marathon? No. Mills completed the London Marathon in 2016 with a time of 3 hours 14 minutes 46 seconds, having previously run both the Brighton and Yorkshire marathons.

Who is he running for? Cancer Research UK

Chris Newton

Who? Newton is a multiple world track cycling champion and triple Olympic medallist, having won medals at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.

First Marathon? No. Newton is the fastest celebrity to have finished the London Marathon, completing the race in 2:45:10 in 2014.

Who is he running for? Anthony Nolan.

ACTORS

Adam Woodyatt

Who? Adam is the longest-serving actor to have appeared on BBC soap Eastenders, having played character Ian Beale since the show started in 1985. He has won five British Soap awards for his work, including one for Best Actor.

First marathon? Yes

Who is he running for? The Air Ambulance Service

Juliet Aubrey

Who? Juliet is an award-winning actress best-known for her roles in TV series Middlemarch and Primeval. Aubrey has also appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Welcome to Sarajevo.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is she running for? Women for Women International

Christopher Harper

Who? Having appeared in both Housewife 49 and Upstairs Downstairs, Harper is now at the centre of a chilling child grooming storyline in Coronation Street.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is he running for? NSPCC

Leon Ockenden

Who? Leon has appeared in several well-known British TV shows, most notably Coronation Street, Waterloo Road and ITV’s Mr Selfridge.

First marathon? Yes.

Who is he running for? Wellchild

Bobby Lockwood

Who? Former child star Lockwood appeared in both Waterloo Road and CBBC’s Wolfblood before making the transition to more adult roles, going on to star in ITV’s Lewis and appearing in the much-anticipated 2017 film Dunkirk.

First marathon? No. Lockwood ran the 2016 London Marathon and achieved a time of 4 hours 32 minutes.

Who is he running for? Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity

Gwilym Lee

Who? Best-known for his role in Midsomer Murders, Gwilym has also showed up in British TV shows including Fresh Meat and Ashes and Ashes. He is set to appear in new Sky drama Jamestown.

First marathon? No. Gwilym ran the London Marathon in 2015 and completed the race in an impressive 3 hours 12 minutes.

Who is he running for? Bloodwise

William Beck

Who? The Welsh-born actor is best known for his role as consultant Dylan Keogh in Casualty, and has also appeared in the BBC drama Robin Hood.

First marathon? No. Beck has run the London Marathon before, in 2012 and 2014.

Who is he running for? Bloodwise

MUSICIANS

Scouting for Girls

Who? The English pop punk band – made up of Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard – rose to fame in 2008 when their self-titled debut album charted at number 1 in the UK album chart. Since then, the band have gone on to sell more than 2 million records.

First marathon? Yes. The band are running the marathon together as part of a year of fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Who are they running for? Alzheimer’s Society

MEDIA PERSONALITIES

Baasit Siddiqui

Who? Alongside his dad Sid and brother Umar, Baasit is a member of one of the most popular families on Channel 4’s Gogglebox.

First marathon? No. Baasit ran the London Marathon in 2016, achieving a time of 04:46:54.

Who is he running for? Gem’s Cash For Kids.

Katie Hopkins

Who? Katie is best known for her controversial newspaper columns. She shot to fame after appearing on The Apprentice in 2007 and featuring on reality shows including Big Brother.

First Marathon? Yes.

Who is she running for? The National Brain Appeal

Ashley James

Who? The former Made in Chelsea star currently DJs on Hoxton Radio, and has taken part in modeling campaigns for George Swimwear.

First marathon? No. James ran the London Marathon in 2016 and finished with a time of 04:10:27.

Who is she running for? Cancer Research UK