The London Marathon has been a fixture on the global sporting calendar since its inaugural run in 1981, and over those four decades the event has generated more than £1.4 billion for charitable causes. As one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors – alongside Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and, from 2025, Sydney – it enjoys a reputation for elite competition, massive public participation and a spectacular tour of the capital. Historically the marathon takes place in April, but the COVID‑19 pandemic forced organizers to shift the race to October for three consecutive years (2020‑2022). In 2026 the traditional spring slot returns, with the wheelchair competition kicking off at 08:50 a.m.
on Sunday, followed by the women’s elite field at 09:05 a.m. The men’s elite and the mass‑participation start are scheduled for 09:35 a.m. The 2026 route mirrors the classic London Marathon layout. Runners line up at three colour‑coded start zones – Red, Blue and Green – located in Greenwich Park and Blackheath.
By the third mile, near Charlton, the three streams converge into a single course that heads east through Woolwich, skirts the historic Cutty Sark, then weaves through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe. At the 20 km mark participants cross the Thames via the London Bridge, continue along the riverbank past Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, loop back through the historic docklands of Shadwell and Wapping, and swing past Tower Hill. From there the race follows the Embankment, with the iconic London Eye on the left and Big Ben looming ahead as runners pass Westminster. The final stretch runs past St James’s Park and the front of Buckingham Palace before the finish line on The Mall, offering a dramatic backdrop for the climax of the event.
A detailed map of the course is available on the official marathon website. This year’s entry list is set to shatter previous records.
A staggering 1.13 million ballot applications were received – a world‑record figure – and organizers anticipate more than 59,000 athletes will line up at the start. The 2025 edition produced 56,640 finishers, a record that stood until the TCS New York City Marathon logged 59,226 finishers last November.
A glittering roster of celebrities has signed up to run, each supporting a charitable cause. Four‑time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel will be in the field to raise money for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust. Legendary jockey Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy is tackling his first marathon on behalf of the Matt Hampson Foundation.
Olympic champion Dame Laura Kenny is running for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, while Sir Ben Ainslie backs the 1851 Trust. Former Arsenal captain Tony Adams will represent The Forward Trust, ex‑England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook is supporting the Ruth Strauss Foundation, and tennis star Laura Robson is raising funds for Give It Your Max.
Even animated characters are joining the fun. Daddy Pig, the beloved figure from the National Deaf Children’s Society campaign, will appear both on screen and in a specially designed costume on the streets, coinciding with a new episode of the children’s series Peppa Pig. Actors and musicians are also on the list: Jack O'Connell (Alzheimer’s Research UK), James Norton (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd will all be in the crowd.
A full celebrity lineup can be viewed on the marathon’s official site. The official starters for the 2026 race will be sprint legend Sir Mo Farah and England rugby star Ellie Kildunne. Farah returns to the London Marathon for the first time since retiring from track in 2024, while Kildunne, a Red Roses Rugby World Cup winner, will be fresh from England’s Six Nations clash against Wales the day before.
Past starters have included royalty and sporting icons such as Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Andy Murray, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson OBE, Jill Scott MBE, Ellen White MBE, Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes, underscoring the event’s broad appeal. The elite races feature the defending champions: Sebastian Sawe (men’s), Tigst Assefa (women’s), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair). Assefa leads the women’s field after smashing the women‑only record in last year’s victory, although Olympic champion Sifan Hissan withdrew with an Achilles injury. The men’s race is expected to be a tight duel between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, who earlier this year set the half‑marathon world record.
Ethiopian Deresa Geleta and Kenyan Amos Kipruto will also be in contention. In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug could equal British Paralympian David Weir’s record of six London Marathon wins if he repeats his 2023 triumph, while Catherine Debrunner seeks to improve on her near‑record performance from last year, when she missed the course record by just two seconds. Weather forecasts predict dry conditions with sunny intervals and light breezes on race day.
Temperatures should start around 10 °C (50 °F) and climb to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon, ideal for fast times. The current course records stand at 2:01:25 for men, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, and 2:15:50 for women, set by Assefa in 2025.
Hug’s five‑year streak in the men’s wheelchair race includes a course record set in 2023, while Debrunner has claimed three of the last four women’s wheelchair titles. Spectators are expected to line the streets in the hundreds of thousands, with the areas around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf drawing the biggest crowds. Runners can be tracked in real time via the TCS London Marathon app, which allows fans to follow any participant by name or bib number. Looking ahead, the next edition of the marathon is scheduled for Sunday 25 April 2027.
The public ballot for the 2027 race will open at 09:00 a.m. on Friday 24 April and close at 16:00 p.m.
on Friday 1 May, giving another generation of hopefuls a chance to join this historic event.