Stilt-walkers, chain gangs and more than a few token Elvis Presleys will be among the 35,000 people taking their place at the starting line of the London Marathon tomorrow – alongside at least one very old man.

But while the pluck of elderly Buster Martin is not in doubt, his real age is.

Guinness World Records are still awaiting proof of birth for the former barrow boy from Vauxhall who claims to be the oldest person running the marathon this year at the age of 101.

The father of 17, who still works, washing vans for a plumbing company in southeast London, is one of the runners who will tackle the 26-mile course tomorrow morning. They will pass through a tunnel of crowds from Greenwich and Blackheath in southeast London, to Buckingham Palace via Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, in what has become the largest single fundraising event in the world.

The wacky element is as strong as ever. A medical student from London will attempt to dribble a basketball from start to finish. A former Girl Guide from Bedfordshire will negotiate the course perched on 4ft stilts. Iva Barr, 80, wins the honour of the oldest woman in the race.

However, mystery still surrounds the background of the French-born Mr Martin, real name Jean Pierre Martin, whose birth certificate is said to be with a daughter in Canada. He is a committed drinker and smoker but has been in training since Christmas and has completed one half marathon and hopes to finish in about five hours.

However, if he wants to register his attempt to become the oldest male marathon runner – a title that belongs to Dimitrion Yordanidis, 98, who went the distance in 7.5 hours in Athens in 1976 – Mr Martin and his team will have to come up with more satisfactory documentation. “I know how long I have lived,” he said yesterday. “There are always rumours from a lot of people who are jealous.”

Amarilis Espinoza, of Guinesss World Records, said: “We’re not denying that he is obviously an old man running the marathon. But at this point he has not yet sent any documents we can use as definitive proof for a record attempt.”

Dave Bedford, race director of the London Marathon, said: “We feel it would be churlish to withdraw Buster’s entry at this stage but we would be very disappointed if it was discovered that there is a discrepancy in his entry information.”

Among the other athletes will be “Blind Dave” Heeley, 50, who hopes to complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents. He aims to become the first visually impaired person to complete the Seven Magnificent Marathons and raise £1 million for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

The London race will be the final leg in his challenge; Mr Heeley and his sighted guide and running partner, Malcolm Carr, have notched up marathons in the Falklands, Rio De Janeiro, Los Angeles, Sydney, Dubai and Tunisia over the past week.

Mr Heeley, a father of three from West Bromwich who has been visually impaired since birth, was a keen runner as a child but had to give up the sport when he was 16 as his sight deteriorated owing to retinitis pigmentosa.

He said: “I have gone from being too nervous to step outside my own front door to taking on the challenge of running a marathon on every continent on the globe – and that is all thanks to guide dogs.” He was inspired to take on the 183.4mile challenge by the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who was the first man to do it in 2003.

The biggest crowd pleasers are likely to be the striking six-strong team of Masai warriors, who will be singing traditional songs as they run through the capital in shoes made from tyres.

Last year runners endured the hot-test temperatures in the event’s history. Forecasters predict a chilly start of about 13C (55F), with some sunshine and showers. The race begins with the elite women at 9am, followed by the wheelchair athletes at 9.25am, and the elite men and mass races at 9.45am.

Rosie Millard and her husband Philip Clothier, Times writers, are running the London Marathon to raise money for two of our Christmas Appeal charities, Help the Hospices and TreeHouse. To sponsor them see: either www.justgiving.com/rosiemillard or www.justgiving.com/mrmillard.

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