Bbc London Marathon update: Gabby Logan flags race delay after puncture
The london marathon had a brief scare on Sunday, 26 April 2026 ET, after presenter Gabby Logan said a puncture for British wheelchair racer Eden Rainbow-Cooper could delay the start. Logan shared the update live while speaking with Paula Radcliffe and Tanni Grey-Thompson. The race went ahead shortly after, and Rainbow-Cooper started minutes later.
Live warning as the start line tightened
Logan said on air: “We’re just hearing, I was going to talk to you about the elite wheelchair racers, Rainbow-Cooper has got a puncture, and this might delay the start of the race. ” The comment came just before the women’s wheelchair race was due to begin at the london marathon.
Shortly after that warning, the women’s wheelchair race moved forward without Rainbow-Cooper on the line. The British athlete then made her start only minutes later, turning a potentially disruptive moment into a short-lived delay rather than a longer stoppage.
The issue mattered because Rainbow-Cooper had come into the london marathon on the back of a strong run of form. She won the Boston Marathon last month, finishing in an unofficial time of 1: 30: 51 and beating runner-up Catherine Debrunner by more than two minutes.
Rainbow-Cooper’s build-up and recent form
The puncture was a blow to her preparations, but the context around Rainbow-Cooper has been positive. She had also spoken after her Boston victory about how hard that win was, saying it “really took everything” and describing the effort as “mentally tough. ”
In her own words, she said: “I only started [the marathon] two years ago, and I have put absolutely everything into it, and I really can’t believe this. ” She added that she had “absolutely nothing left at the end, but the crowd carried me through. ” Those remarks help explain why any pre-race disruption at the london marathon would have been felt sharply.
What the early delay meant on race day
The race itself did not stop for long. The women’s wheelchair event went on, and Rainbow-Cooper was able to join after the brief problem was handled. That limited interruption kept the focus on the competition, even if the start was not as clean as planned.
Rainbow-Cooper’s record also adds weight to the moment. She won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games marathon T54 event in 2022 and made her Paralympic debut in 2024, competing in the 1500m, 5000m and marathon in the T54 classification. She finished seventh in the 1500m and did not finish the 5000m or marathon.
Why the london marathon moment stood out
The london marathon is being followed closely for elite wheelchair racing, and Logan’s live update captured how small mechanical issues can shape a race before it even settles. In this case, the puncture created a moment of uncertainty, but the competition quickly moved on.
With Rainbow-Cooper starting minutes later, attention now shifts to how she responds after the setback and whether the brief delay affects the rest of her day. For now, the london marathon has already delivered an early reminder that even the smallest problem can change the opening minutes of a major race.
