For the best viewing experience, please use the Chrome browser. The London Marathon, a staple in the sporting calendar since 1981, has raised over £1.4 billion for charity.
As one of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon majors, it joins the ranks of Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Sydney. Traditionally held in April, the marathon was rescheduled to October from 2020 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year's wheelchair race commences at 8:50 am on Sunday, followed by the women's elite race at 9:05 am. The men's elite race and mass event begin at 9:35 am. The 2026 route follows its traditional path, with runners starting at separate color-coded points in Greenwich Park or Blackheath.
By Mile 3, near Charlton, the routes converge into one, proceeding through Woolwich toward the Thames and the Cutty Sark. The course then passes through Deptford, Surrey Quays, and Rotherhithe before reaching the 20km mark around London Bridge. The route continues east toward Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, looping back toward Shadwell and Wapping, then passing Tower Hill and heading toward Blackfriars before running along the Embankment.
With the London Eye to their left and Big Ben ahead, runners pass Westminster and St James' Park, finishing at Buckingham Palace on The Mall. A detailed view of the course is available.
A record number of participants are expected, following a world record 1.13 million ballot applications, with over 59,000 people anticipated at the starting line. The 2025 race saw a record 56,640 finishers, which held the world record until the TCS New York City Marathon had 59,226 finishers last November.
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel is running for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust. Legendary jockey Sir Anthony McCoy is tackling his first marathon for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympians Dame Laura Kenny and Sir Ben Ainslie are also participating, along with former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams, ex-England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook, and Laura Robson. Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig will participate in a specially designed costume, and an upcoming episode of the show will feature the marathon.
Skins actor Jack O'Connell, House of the Dragon star James Norton, and McFly drummer Harry Judd are scheduled to participate. A full list of celebrity runners is available. Sir Mo Farah and Ellie Kildunne will be the official starters for the 2026 edition.
Farah returns to the TCS London Marathon for the first time since retiring from athletics in 2024. Previous starters include Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Andy Murray, and Dame Kelly Holmes.
The elite races feature all four defending champions: Sebastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa, Marcel Hug, and Catherine Debrunner. Assefa leads the women's field after breaking the women-only record last year, although Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn due to an Achilles injury. The elite men's race is expected to be a close contest between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, with Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta and Kenya's Amos Kipruto also challenging for victory.
Hug will equal British Paralympian David Weir as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history if he wins the men's wheelchair race. Debrunner returns in the women's wheelchair race after missing the world record on the London course by two seconds last year. Sunday's conditions are expected to be dry, with sunny intervals and light winds.
Temperatures will be around 10 degrees Celsius at the start, rising to 17 degrees by mid-afternoon. The men's course record was set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, while Assefa won in a record time of 2:15:50 last year. Hug has won the men's wheelchair race five years running, 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 of London, with the busiest areas around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, and Canary Wharf. The TCS London Marathon app provides updates on runners at regular intervals, allowing tracking by name or bib number. The next London Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, April 25, 2027. The public ballot for the 2027 edition will open on Friday, April 24, at 9 am and close on Friday, May 1, at 4 pm.