In the event you’re on the lookout for updates from the London Marathon’s official account on X (previously Twitter) this Sunday, you could be out of luck. Race director Hugh Brasher mentioned Thursday that the group has stopped utilizing the platform, citing “its decline as a optimistic and rational area.”
The official X account (@LondonMarathon), which boasts 191,000 followers, final posted on Jan. 17, asserting Eliud Kipchoge’s addition to the 2025 males’s discipline. It’s unlikely the X account will probably be lively on Sunday, as 56,000 runners tackle the third Abbott World Marathon Main of the yr.
At a pre-race press convention in London, Brasher defined the choice to depart X, saying, “There are some social media channels which can be significantly vitriolic and are descending right into a gutter. The channel was ceasing to be a rational dialog. It was ceasing to be a optimistic place.”
Brasher highlighted the abuse prevalent on the platform, referencing British distance runner and 10,000m document holder Eilish McColgan. McColgan, who is about to compete in her first London Marathon on Sunday, confronted “demeaning and abusive” body-shaming on social media in March, based on her mom and coach, Liz McColgan. Brasher described the abuse as “abhorrent” and cited it as a key purpose for the marathon’s departure from X.
X, previously often known as Twitter, was acquired by South African billionaire Elon Musk in 2022. Since then, Musk has been related to amplifying right-wing views and publicly supporting U.S. President Donald Trump.
Brasher, who has served as race director since 2012, has deep ties to the London Marathon from his father, Chris, who co-founded the occasion with John Disley in 1981. Reflecting, Brasher mentioned, “One of many goals of my father and John was to point out that, occasionally, the household of humankind might be joyous collectively and have a good time collectively. That’s what the London Marathon is about. It’s a power for good, and we didn’t really feel that channel shared these values.”
This yr’s London Marathon, set for April 27, is poised to make historical past, with over 56,000 contributors anticipated to toe the beginning line. The occasion goals to surpass final yr’s document of 53,790 finishers.