The coronavirus pandemic means that the London marathon in its usual format cannot take place.

However a virtual race is still taking place on October 4th and a running group for Teddington are running around Bushy Park to complete their distance.

Based in Sweatshop on Broad Street, the Sweatshop Running Community (SRC), meet three times a week and have members in their pre-teen to their seventies.

Rob Hedges from the group told us: "There are 9 SRC members running London Marathon, the 40th race. We are starting from Hampton Hill gate at 8am on 4th October.

"We will be running 4 and a bit laps of the park, probably in an anti-clockwise direction but that may change depending on the weather.

"We have SRC volunteers manning a water station at Hampton Hill gate, they will be there from 0800 – 1400 by which time we hope that we will all have finished.

"It really would be fantastic if we could get people to come along and cheer us on. There are three other running groups (at least) doing their marathons in Bushy. Elmbridge Road Runners, Ranelagh Harriers and 26.2 Road Runners."

Rob us also told about the group. He added:

"In normal times we meet three times a week. Monday evening for either 5k or 8k run, Thursday evenings for interval sessions designed to help build speed and Sunday mornings for a social run of either 5k or 10k. Sunday mornings can attract up to 50 people on a good day. We run a couch to 5k group two or three times a year.

"This is looked after by staff and volunteers from SRC. There's been an SRC since roughly 2008. Sweatshop was founded by Chris Brasher in the '70's (he also co-founded London Marathon).

"Staff at sweatshop (and so by default the people who do a lot of the coaching) tend to come from St Mary's.

"The current coach is Dan Jarvis who's represented team GB in 3000m steeplechase and European Cross Country championships.

"The most obvious of the former SRC folk is Mo Farah who still occasionally pops into the shop."

Here is a full list of runners plus the donation pages we have for them:

Simon Flowers

Ross Cameron

Tara Holt

Serena Scott

Merilyn Davis

Alma Dedic

Nicolette Crinall

Rob Hedges

Andrew Dell'Anno