London Marathon 2018: Stands run out of water as runners race in hottest temperatures ever recorded at Marathon

Tens of thousands of runners endured the hottest London Marathon on record as temperatures soared to 23.5C.

The previous highest temperature set at the gruelling 26.2-mile event was 22.7C in 1996, but the mercury easily surpassed this.

Some runners complained stands had run out of water along the course, leaving competitors dehydrated amid the sweltering heat.

It came on a day that saw records tumbling, with an exhausted Sir Mo Farah breaking the marathon record by a British athlete as he finished third in the men's race.

Despite the record-breaking heat and mix-ups over water bottles, Sir Mo beat Steve Jones' 33-year-old record with a time – ratified more than an hour after crossing the finishing line – of two hours, six minutes and 21 seconds.

Elsewhere on the track, six-time Paralympic gold medallist David Weir won the men's wheelchair race for an unprecedented eighth time.

Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson confirmed that temperatures reached record levels on Sunday afternoon.

He told the Standard: “The highest temperatures I have seen so far are in St James’s Park, where they reached 23.5C, so it’s officially the warmest on record.

“There has been plenty of sunshine so far for the race and a fine picture for the rest of the day, maybe the odd shower.”

As runners battled through in the heat Marathon organisers confirmed reports that a number of stands had run out of water.

One person suggested on Twitter that runners had to endure seven miles between drinks stations.

Another person wrote: “Please explain to me how you can run out of water at every single station during the marathon on one of the hottest days of the year.”

And another added: “How can you run out of water at every water station at the #LondonMarathon !! Sort it out.”

Race organisers had previously urged runners to reconsider aiming for personal bests and suggested ditching the fancy dress costumes amid the unseasonably warm April weather.

Sir Mo said he would spend time with his family after not seeing his children due to a strict training regime in Ethiopia during the last three months.

He said: "It slowed down after halfway, from there you pay the price, you can't go off that fast and come away with 2.02.

"It was a hard way to run the pace because we were set for the world record pace at the beginning...

"I know I can go at least 2.04, 2.05, in an even-paced race, today it was the hardest way to run in any race. But at the end of the day you've got to fight like a man."

Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya won the men's race in a time of two hours, four minutes and 16 seconds, while compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot won the women's race in a time of two hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds.

Lily Partridge, the first British woman over the line in the elite women's race, with a time of under two-and-a-half hours, said: "It is unbelievable. I felt absolutely fantastic until 35K (21.8 miles) and then it started to bite. And then it got slowly worse."

Partridge, who claimed eighth place, added: "It's only the second time I've run past 23 miles and I've only ever done the full distance once (during training)."

Those not competing in the elite races received a royal send-off as the Queen pushed the event's start button, sending thousands of competitors pounding through the capital's streets.

More than 40,000 marathon runners then proceeded to follow hot on their heels.

Among this year's runners were firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze, a police officer stabbed in the London Bridge terror attack and members of the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.

Meanwhile, almost 100 runners lined up to attempt Guinness World Records – dressed variously in suits of armour, as mythical creatures and wearing stilts and ski boots.

Last year, the event raised £61.5 million for charity, a world record for an annual one-day fundraising event, making the total raised since 1981 around £890 million, organisers said.

Robe Pope, who broke a world record for the fastest time as a film character, said he has run around 15,400 miles in the past 19 months in an attempt to recreate Forrest Gump's famous fictional run across the US in the 1994 Tom Hanks film.

Speaking after the marathon, the 39-year-old, from Liverpool, said: "I can run like the wind blows.

"Today was unbelievable. I had so many 'Run Forrest run' shouts - a couple of 'beardy man' and a couple 'Jesus' but mostly Forrest Gump!"

Mr Pope, raising money for the World Wildlife Fund and Peace Direct, added: "In the film Forrest Gump they ask him 'why are you doing this? Are you running for women's rights? world peace? the homeless? the environment? animals?' and between those two charities they cover all those bases."