London Marathon: Two protestors arrested for throwing powdered paint onto the course

By Issy Ronald, CNN

(CNN) — Two protestors were arrested at the London Marathon on Sunday for throwing red powdered paint onto the course shortly before the men’s elite race passed by, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

Video posted on social media by a group called Youth Demand showed two protestors wearing “Stop Arming Israel” t-shirts jump over the barriers at Tower Bridge, stop in the road, and throw powdered paint in the air.

One of the motorcycle outriders tackled the two protestors to the ground as the leading group of the men’s race ran past unobstructed.

Police added that the paint appeared to be “chalk-based” and wasn’t expected to pose any hazard to the runners.

In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa secured a thrilling victory, striding away from everyone else to set a new women’s-only world record too.

Assefa finished the course in 2:15:50, smashing the previous women’s-only record – the fastest marathon time set by a female runner without male pacemakers – by 26 seconds. Although the 28-year-old flirted with breaking Paula Radcliffe’s course record of 2:15:25 set 22 years ago, that was ultimately a step too far for her.

She dominated the closing stages of the race, dropping Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei who clung on for second place and finished in 2:18:43.

Olympic champion Sifan Hassan crossed the line 16 seconds afterwards in third, after she had lost touch with the leading group around the halfway point.

In the men’s race, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe secured the biggest win of his career with a time of 2:02:27, attacking at the drinks station while his competitors slowed down and going on to cross the line alone.

Behind him, Jacob Kiplimo – the half-marathon world record holder – finished second in an impressive 2:03:37 in his much anticipated marathon debut.

In a thrilling race for third place, Alexander Mutiso Munyao crossed the line a hair’s breadth ahead of Abdi Nageeye and had to wait for organizers to confirm his podium spot. Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge finished in sixth place.

In the women’s wheelchair race, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner set a course record, sprinting down the finishing straight on The Mall to cross the line in 1:34:18. She finished just two seconds outside her own world record, setting a blistering pace that none of her competitors could match. The USA’s Susannah Scaroni finished almost four minutes back in second place while Switzerland’s Manuela Schär rounded out the podium with a time of 1:41:06.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the men’s wheelchair race to take his seventh overall, and fifth consecutive, title in London. The 39-year-old completed the course in 1:25:25, almost a minute ahead of second-placed Tomoki Suzuki, securing his second major marathon victory of the week after winning in Boston on Monday.

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This story has been updated with additional information.