London Marathon sets event record with more than 53,000 finishing

(Corrects headline, paragraph 1 to show the number of finishers is an ‘event record’, not a ‘world record’)

:More than 53,000 runners completed the 44th London Marathon on Sunday, a record for the event, race organisers said on Monday.

The number is a significant increase from last year’s edition when 43,965 runners finished the race.

There were 54,281 runners who started after 65,725 registered to participate, with Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir setting a women’s-only world record.

The event also set a world record for the biggest annual one-day fundraising event, with more than 67 million pounds ($82 million) having been raised so far, event director Hugh Brasher said.

“The total will continue to grow as many donations come in after the event weekend,” he added.

($1 = 0.8123 pounds)