The six-time Paralympic gold medallist will face significant competition for the title, including arch-rival and reigning champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland.

the 37-year-old Weir will head into the race in confident mood, having triumphed at the Paris Marathon earlier this month.

"London Marathon is the only event that gets me going," said Weir.

"I just love doing it - it’s been part of my life since I was eight.

"Since I’ve retired from the track, it’s been nice to concentrate on the road.

"I’m going to see how Sunday goes to see what I do next."

Should Weir triumph, it would be his first victory at the race since 2012.

Hug has triumphed in two of the last three editions, with the Swiss star looking to add to his successes in 2014 and 2016.

Australia’s course record holder Kurt Fearnley is also vying for a third success, having won the 2009 and 2013 editions.

He will be racing down the Mall at the close of the race just over a month after heading in the opposite direction when he delivered the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton to Buckingham Palace.

South Africa’s Ernst van Dyk, a 10-time winner of the Boston Marathon, will also be among the contenders for victory.

The women’s race will see a different winner to last year’s edition, with Tatyana McFadden having been forced to pull out through illness.

The American came fourth at in the Boston Marathon on Monday (April 17) just days after being released from hospital, having suffered from blot clots in her legs.

She has pulled out of the London Marathon because of health reasons, however, leaving Switzerland’s Manuela Schär as the favourite.

Schär has been second to McFadden for the last three years and in Boston earlier this week, she smashed the course record by nearly six minutes in 1 hour 28min 17sec, the fastest time ever by a wheelchair race. 

The United States’ Amanda McGrory and Shirley Reilly will hope to deny Schär a first London Marathon title, while Jade Jones will carry home hopes.