David Bedford to start the 2013 Virgin London Marathon

Former race director David Bedford will be the official starter at this year’s Virgin London Marathon.

Bedford, race director for 19 years until 2012, will send some 36,000 runners off on their 26.2-mile journey through the capital when he pushes the famous red button at the blue start on Shooters Hill.

The former world 10,000m record holder remains responsible for putting together the event’s elite fields and this year he has assembled some of the greatest ever seen in the 32-year history of the event.

Among the talented athletes who will set off from Blackheath in pursuit of 2013 London Marathon titles are the winners of 15 London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic athletics gold medals, including five London 2012 marathon champions.

The elite will be followed by thousands of club athletes, fun runners, charity fund raisers, celebrities, politicians and fancy dress costume wearers.

The winning runners will receive a Royal greeting at the other end where they will be presented with medals and prizes by Prince Harry, patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

His Royal Highness will hand trophies to the first three finishers in the elite men's, women's, wheelchair and IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup races.

He will also make presentations to winners of the Virgin Money Giving Mini Marathon, a series of races over the final three miles of the course involving young runners from across the country aged 11 to 17.

The Mini Marathon races will be started by Arsenal and England footballer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Prince Harry will be joined at the finish by Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, and Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Chief Executive of Virgin Money.

Here is the full list of official starters and presenters:

Official Starters

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal and England footballer

08:55  Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon, Old Billingsgate

David Bedford, former London Marathon race director

09:00  Elite Women, Blue start

09:20  Wheelchair Races, Blue start

09:23  IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup, Blue start

10:00  Elite Men, Blue start

Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of the London Borough of Lewisham

10:00  Mass race, Green start

Councillor David Grant, Mayor of the London Borough of Greenwich

10:00  Mass race, Red start

Trophy Presenters

10:30 Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon

HRH Prince Henry of Wales, Patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust

12:30  Virgin London Marathon 

HRH Prince Henry of Wales

Sir Philip Craven, President, International Paralympic Committee

Jayne-Anne Gadhia, Chief Executive, Virgin Money