After last year’s scorching temperatures for the London Marathon everyone is talking about Sunday’s meteorological  conditions, but Fast Running as your back.

With the internet providing hundreds of different news sources and most people just keeping up to date with Twitter, you can find any forecast you like if you look hard enough. We decided to scour the world wide web and find the best forecast for Sunday’s marathon.

The ever trustworthy BBC sometimes gets the weather right (expect for that hurricane that Michael Fish underestimated a tad) and they have a fine prediction of 10-14 degrees celsius, light cloud and a moderate breeze from the north west. Perfect running conditions you might say, if a touch windy.

All the reports we checked had the wind coming from the north-west so what does that mean? Amateur meteorologist and four time finisher Danny Kendall, more commonly known simply as #Danny, is gunning for sub 2:30 on Sunday and told us that “the prevailing westerly winds mean there will likely be a tailwind at the start, so don’t get too carried away. Then you might feel a little headwind in the final miles, but nothing too bad.”

What do the Norwegians say?

One of my favourite weather websites is yr.no. The Norwegian website provides decent weather predictions for all around the cold and with the wild weather of Norway you’d want to be getting it right. Our Scandinavian friends actually have the wind forecast as a bit windier at six metres per second than the BBC’s four metres per second and temperatures ranging between nine and 11 degrees celsius.

Weather.com, who must be good with a website name like that, have the same as the Norwegians although they write it in the more alarming style of 22km/h, which seems faster than six metres per second, but is actually exactly the same.

The running experts

England marathon coach Tom Craggs feels “it’s ideal weather conditions for a marathon with around 10-13 degrees during the race and although there will be a light headwind in those final miles it won’t be enough to make a difference.”

“After last year’s hot weather there will be no excuses this weekend” continued the coach, “it’s going to be perfect for some fast running and we can all be hopeful to see some PBs.”

Crawley AC marathon record holder Paul Navesey suggests “to not get carried away with the slightly downhill start and tailwind, just run your target pace and accept the sightly easier ride early on”. The 2:18:16 man was second at Brighton Marathon this year and suggests “saving a little something for that horrible little slope at 20 miles”, just like the ABT training group member had a little something left to win a print for second on the south coast.

“It’s going to be perfect weather in London” said 2:39 marathoner Julia Davis, who’s just set a new course record for the South Downs Way 50. “Remember to vaseline your feet though, even if it’s not super hot, that’s my top tip for fast road running.”

Don’t worry, be happy

The key now though is not to worry too much. The weather will be how the weather will be, it is how you react to the conditions that is most important. Previously we have highlighted performances like Stephen Scullion at London marathon last year and Robbie Simpson at the Commonwealth Games as exemplary displays in running the race in front of you.

Be bold, start cold. When choosing your outfit for the race, which you’ve hopefully tests multiple times on long runs already, don’t be worried about being a bit chilly at the start. You’re dressing for the hottest part of the race, when you’re working hard. Unless you’re Kate Carter, who’ll be toasty in her panda outfit from the gun.

The taper is finishing, the training is in the bank. The well is full and Sunday is the day to empty the tank. All that is left to do is not get too carried away at the London Marathon Expo (a bit late for Sir Mo it seems) and channel your inner Eluid Kipchoge. Be calm, smile big and have a great day on Sunday.

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you