London Marathon winner is banned for life and had to return entire prize winnings

The 46th London Marathon has officially got underway this morning, but the historic race hasn't been without its controversy.

Thousands of keen runners, whether they be professionals desperately seeking to break their own records or first-timers in fancy dress, will take to the starting line throughout the morning for the monumental 26 mile race.

Although us common folks think of it as a great opportunity to get fit or raise some money for charity, it is still a race at the end of the day and there can be some pretty huge benefits for whoever wins it.

The elite race winners, both men and women, will receive a hefty sum of £40,500, with world record bonuses totalling £92,500 available as well, and you certainly wouldn't rule one out considering just how good the elite runners are.

However, back in 2010, when running wasn't perhaps quite as big a phenomenon, it was Russian athlete Liliya Shobukhova who claimed first spot thanks to an impressive time of two hours and 22 minutes.

Liliya Shobukhova came first in 2010 (BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

Now 48, the elite athlete had already proven herself to be one of the best in the business, winning her first of three consecutive Chicago Marathon titles in 2009, as well as claiming silver medals in both the European Championships and the World Indoor Championships.

But it wasn't until 2014 when the Russian Athletics Federation announced that abnormalities had been discovered in Shobukhova’s biological passport and she was accused of doping, which led to her being banned from all forms of racing for 38 months, with her results from October 2009 onwards also annulled.

Shobukhova received a hefty ban (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

While she did later cooperate with the investigation that was carried out by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which saw her ban reduced by seven months, she was ordered to repay the £378,000 that she had earned from her appearance fees at the London marathons in 2010 and 2011 - when she finished as runner-up.

"Cheats should not benefit," London Marathon Events Ltd chief Nick Bitel said in June 2016. "It will be a long and difficult process but we will pursue it.

"Any money we get back will be redistributed to the athletes that Shobukhova cheated out of their rightful dues.

"We are determined to make marathon running a safe haven from doping. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure cheats are caught and do not benefit from cheating."

While she was once considered the second-fastest marathon runner in history behind British legend Paula Radcliffe, who spoke out when Shobukhova was 'finally exposed as a drug cheat', her records have been tainted by the allegations made against her, and she was also banned from other marathons.

Paula Radcliffe called her Russian opponent a 'drug cheat' (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Shobukhova announced her retirement from competitive distance running in May 2016 and reportedly transitioned to coaching children and young athletes.

So, hopefully the winners in today's race will have stuck to some peanut butter bagels, running gels and jelly babies as their pre-race food, rather than anything of the illegal variety.

London Marathon 2026 results

Kenya's Sabastian Sawe made history at the 2026 London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to complete a sub-two-hour marathon (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Women's elite race

1. Tigst Assefa (ETH) - 02:15:41
2. Hellen Obiri (KEN) - 02:15:53
3. Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) - 02:15:55
4. Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) - 02:19:13
5. Catherine Reline Amanang'ole (KEN) - 02:21:20

Men's elite race

1. Sabastian Sawe (KEN) - 01:59:30
2. Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) - 01:59:41
3. Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) - 02:00:28
4. Amos Kipruto (KEN) - 02:01:39
5. Tamirat Tola (ETH) - 02:02:5

Women's wheelchair race

1. Catherine Debrunner (SUI) - 1:38:29
2. Tatyana McFadden (USA) - 1:38:34
3. Manuela Schär (SUI) - 1:41:21
4. Tian Yajuan (CHN) - 1:46:59
5. Zhou Zhaoqian (CHN) - 1:46:59

Men's wheelchair race

1. Marcel Hug (SUI) - 1:24:13
2. Xingchuan Luo (CHN) - 1:28:45
3. David Weir (GBR) - 1:29:23
4. Suzuki Tomoki (JPN) - 1:30:05
5. Jetze Plat (NED) - 1:31:04