London’s ExCeL Exhibition Centre welcomed space experts and Guinness World Record chasers Dr Jonathan Scott and Libby Jackson this morning to officially open the 2016 edition of the Virgin Money London Marathon Expo.

Following in the footsteps of Paula Radcliffe, Haile Gebrselassie and David Weir, Scott and Jackson were handed the prestigious honour of cutting the ceremonial ribbon, triggering a hive of activity as enthusiastic visitors poured into the Docklands venue.

Scott, who leads the Medical Projects and Technology Team in the Space Medicine Office at the European Space Agency, described the honour of opening Expo as “completely unique”.

“That’s one of my favourite things about the London Marathon,” he said. “It’s such a fantastic event that’s so popular among the UK public. 

“It attracts people from every walk of life, from elite runners, to people taking six to seven hours to run. The sheer enthusiasm and commitment, even if they are perhaps a beginner, makes for a brilliant event.”

Scott, who is based in Cologne at the ESA, will run his first marathon in London this year when he aims to finish in less than four hours 30 minutes. 

“It’s been an annual feature watching the race on our television,” he said. “I really enjoy watching the elites, and for people to be able to run in the same event is another major reason why the London Marathon is so wonderful.”

“It’s amazing,” agreed Jackson, the Astronaut Flight Education Programme Manager at the UK Space Agency. “When John and I got the call asking us to do this, I couldn’t quite believe it. It was a huge honour and privilege. This is turning into the most extraordinary London Marathon for me ever.”

Jackson ran her first marathon in 2014, and clearly remembers the Expo experience.

“It was the point when I realised that this is happening. I could not believe I had got to that point. It’s the moment you realise all that training has happened, you’ve got your number and chip, all that’s left is to reach the Start Line and somehow get to the Finish Line.

“It’s such a fantastic event to just see the amount of people. Looking around the Expo, they think ‘OK, there are a lot of people like me, it’s not just your super fast people who don’t like novices.’ I’m very excited to be here and am really looking forward to having a look around.”

More than 38,000 equally excited runners will descend on Expo to register over the next four days, collecting their running numbers and Ipico Sports Timing Tags ahead of the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday. This year’s event is expected to be one of the biggest to date, welcoming around 70,000 people before registrations close at 17:00 on Saturday.

Scott and Jackson have been core components in the build-up to Tim Peake’s space mission on board the International Space Station. While Peake will run the Digital Virgin Money London Marathon on a treadmill aboard the ISS, Scott and Jackson will undertake their own unique marathon endeavour here on terra firma.

Joining Peake as part of the nine-strong Team Astronaut, running in aid of The Prince’s Trust, Scott will be gunning for the Guinness World Record title of ‘Fastest Marathon by a Man Wearing a Replica Space Suit’, while Jackson attempts the female equivalent.

The pair will wear replicas of the Sokol space suit, the Russian suit all astronauts wear when travelling with the Soyuz capsule en route to the ISS and back. Jackson even wore her outfit on the train to ExCeL.

“No one said a word,” she joked. “Likewise, out running where I Iive in Swindon, nobody says a word, even when I walked into the shop to buy some water and a banana.”

Commenting on Peake’s unique run 250 miles up, Jackson confirmed that the British astronaut is chomping at the bit.

“This has always been his idea, he’s hugely excited,” said Jackson. “Tim’s a keen runner and always has been. This was a challenge he wanted to set himself, but I don’t envy him, I hate treadmill running.”

As for her own ambitions this year, Jackson said: “My time when I ran the Marathon last year was 5:43:11. If I can get around quicker than that wearing a costume, I would be very happy. I am not a super duper fast runner. My target with any event, first and foremost, is to get to the end. That’s the goal.”

Commenting on the possibility of being the event’s one millionth finisher, Scott said: “To say that a million people over the last 36 years have made the commitment to run it and completed it, is an extraordinary statistic. If it turns out to be me, it’s the first thing in my life I’ve actually won.” 

She added: “If I was the millionth, it would be a great honour. It would be like winning the lottery. But to be honest, to be one of those million, that in itself is something I’d never thought I’d do.

“Doing it has been I think the best thing I’ve ever done in my life and I’ve done some fantastic things. It has helped me in so many ways and has changed my life for good.”

Kelly O’Leary was among the first of Sunday’s runners to enter Expo once Jackson and Scott had opened the doors.

“It seemed so far away and now it’s actually happening,” beamed the marathon first-timer as she collected her number. “Now we are all here, it’s really exciting and makes it real. The way it’s all put together is amazing. There’s so much to take in.” 

For more information on the 2016 Virgin Money Marathon Expo, including opening hours, go to the Expo page on the London Marathon website here.

Source: Virgin Money London Marathon