For the best viewing experience, please use the Chrome browser. The London Marathon, a staple of the sporting calendar since 1981, has raised over £1.4 billion for charity.
It's one of the most prestigious marathon races globally, known as the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which includes Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Sydney as of 2025. Traditionally held in April, the event was rescheduled to October from 2020 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, the wheelchair race kicks off at 8:50 am on Sunday, followed by the women's elite race at 9:05 am, and then the men's elite and mass participation events at 9:35 am.
The 2026 race follows its traditional route, starting from separate color-coded points (Red, Blue, Green) in Greenwich Park or Blackheath. All runners merge into a single route by Mile 3, near Charlton, heading towards the Thames, passing landmarks such as the Cutty Sark, before proceeding through Deptford, Surrey Quays, and Rotherhithe, reaching the 20km mark around London Bridge. The route then heads towards Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, looping back towards Shadwell, Wapping, Tower Hill, and then along the Embankment, with the London Eye and Big Ben in sight as runners approach Westminster and St James' Park, before finishing at The Mall.
A detailed view of the course is available. A record number of participants are expected, following a world record of 1.13 million ballot applications, with over 59,000 people at the start line. The 2025 race had 56,640 finishers, a record until the TCS New York City Marathon had 59,226 finishers.
Notable participants include four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, running for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, and legendary jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, running his first marathon for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympians Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Ben Ainslie are also participating, along with Tony Adams, Sir Alastair Cook, and Laura Robson. The character Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig will participate in a specially designed costume, promoting the National Deaf Children's Society.
Celebrities such as Jack O'Connell, James Norton, and Harry Judd are scheduled to run, with a full list available. Sporting icons Sir Mo Farah and Ellie Kildunne will be the official starters, with Farah returning to the TCS London Marathon for the first time since his retirement from athletics in 2024. Previous starters include Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Andy Murray, and Dame Kelly Holmes. The elite races feature defending champions Sebastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa, Marcel Hug, and Catherine Debrunner, with Assefa leading the women's field after breaking the women-only record last year.
The elite men's race is expected to be competitive, with Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo among the favorites, and Hug aiming to match David Weir's record as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history. Conditions are expected to be dry with sunny intervals and light winds, and temperatures ranging from 10°C to 17°C.
The men's course record was set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023 with a time of 2:01:25, while Assefa won the women's race in a record 2:15:50 last year. Hug has won the men's wheelchair race for five consecutive years, and Debrunner has won the women's wheelchair event three times in the last four years. Hundreds of thousands of spectators will line the streets, with the TCS London Marathon app providing updates on runners throughout the race. The next edition will take place on Sunday, April 25, 2027, with the public ballot opening on Friday, April 24, 2027.