Money raised by London Marathon runners since its conception broke the £1 billion mark today as tens of thousands of people pounded the streets of the capital.
Elite runners were joined by celebrities and amateur fundraisers as race officials accepted the highest ever number of entrants at more than 56,000.
Tennis star Sir Andy Murray started the race, while Prince Harry made a surprise appearance to hand out medals to marathon and wheelchair winners, as well as meet volunteers.
Harry had always planned to attend but his visit was uncertain as he awaits the birth of his first child with wife Meghan Markle.
One heartwarming image showed Harry having a laugh with Australia's Michael Roeger, winner of the men's T45/T46 marathon for athletes whose arms are affected. They posed alongside second and third-placed Derek Rae (Great Britain) and Abdelhadi El Harti (Morocco).
As ever, there were scores of emotional runners at the finish line. But the most dramatic moment came as Great Britain’s Hayley Carruthers collapsed yards from the line.
She managed to crawl home, before receiving urgent attention from officials. Carruthers recovered well, and even recorded a personal best time.
In a more comical finish line moment, Lukas Bates, a runner dressed as Big Ben, got stuck as he tried to cross the finish line. A laughing official was pictured untangling him, adding 30 seconds to his time.
In one stunning photo, a boat passes underneath Tower Bridge as runners approached the halfway point. Of all the runners who took part, 54 per cent had not ran a marathon before.
In the elite men's race, British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah finished fifth, with a time of 02:05:39.
He lost out to Kenyan winner and marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, who crossed the line in 02:02:37.
Sir Mo, 36, said after the race he "felt good" mid-way through the course but could not match "incredible" Kipchoge, 34.
He also insisted his widely-publicised spat with Ethiopian Olympian Haile Gebrselassie did not affect his run.
"I didn't think the fuss affected my run and I wasn't distracted by the build-up, it was all about London today and so I put my head down, did my best."
In the elite women's race, Kenya's Brigid Kosgei improved on last year's second place to win her first London Marathon, finishing ahead of reigning champion Vivian Cheruiyot.
The marathon's chosen charity was Dementia Revolution, a partnership between the Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK.
Their £3.5 million fundraising target was bolstered by a team running for Dame Barbara Windsor, 81, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014.
Other celebrity runners included model and TV personality Nell McAndrew, 45, who said support was "incredible" after she crossed the line in 03:15:08.
"It was tough but I'm happy and proud," she said. "At nine miles I couldn't feel my left hamstring but by 18 I settled into it. I was looking forward to seeing my family at this point, who made signs for me."
French tennis ace and Wimbledon winner Amelie Mauresmo, who coached Andy Murray, said: "Every marathon I have run so far, at the finish line, I've said I will never do another marathon and I certainly feel like that now." Mauresmo finished in 03:22:45.
Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, said it was an "amazing marathon" as he hinted he might run next year.
"It's been beautifully organised and it's so amazing to have raised the big £1 billion," he added.
The marathon is the country's largest annual fundraiser and a ballot of 444,168 applicants was narrowed down to 56,398 who were given a place.
