Four-time London champion Eliud Kipchoge and Olympic champions Sifan Hassan and Tamirat Tola among the favorites in Sunday's London Marathon.

More than 5,000 runners will take to the streets of the UK's capital in the 45th running of the iconic London Marathon, with this year's star-studded field set to welcome back a four-time winner. Below,

Once a year, on a Sunday in April, London comes together to celebrate one of the great sporting occasions. First the elite racers will set off - and the fields are stacked with Olympic and Paralympic champions - then thousands will take the streets each of their own special reasons to run 26.

In an Olympic rematch, she took down gold medalist Sifan Hassan and ran the fastest-ever marathon in a women’s-only race.

Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa shattered the women's-only world record in winning the 45th London Marathon on Sunday, pulling away from Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya over the final couple of kilometres after the two had set a blistering early pace.

Assefa made up for second-place finishes in London and the Paris Olympics last year by pulling away near the end to finish in 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 50 seconds.