The London Marathon has been a staple of the global running calendar since its inaugural edition in 1981, and over the past four decades it has generated more than £1.4 billion for charitable causes. As one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors – alongside Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York City, with Sydney joining the family in 2025 – the event is recognised as one of the most prestigious 26.2‑mile (42.195 km) contests on the planet. Traditionally staged in April, the marathon was temporarily shifted to October for the 2020‑2022 editions because of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
For 2026 the race returns to its classic spring slot, with the wheelchair competition kicking off at 08:50 am on Sunday, the women’s elite field setting off at 09:05 am, and the men’s elite and mass‑participation start following at 09:35 am. The 2026 course mirrors the historic route that runners have come to love. Participants line up at three colour‑coded starting zones – Red, Blue and Green – located in Greenwich Park and Blackheath.
By the third mile, near Charlton, the separate waves converge into a single line that heads westward through Woolwich, skirts the River Thames and passes the iconic Cutty Sark. The route then weaves through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe before reaching the 20 km landmark at London Bridge.
From there the marathon swings east toward the modern skyline of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, loops back through the historic districts of Shadwell and Wapping, and then rolls past Tower Hill. Runners continue along the Thames embankment, with the London Eye on their left and the chimes of Big Ben echoing ahead as they glide past Westminster. The final stretch takes them through St James’s Park, past the façade of Buckingham Palace, and onto The Mall, where the finish line awaits.
A record‑breaking level of interest is expected for this weekend’s event. After a world‑record 1.13 million ballot applications, organisers anticipate more than 59 000 athletes will line up at the start. The 2025 edition produced a then‑record 56 640 finishers, a figure later surpassed by the TCS New York City Marathon’s 59 226 finishers in November. The star power this year is considerable.
Four‑time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel will be in the field, running to support 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 champions Dame Laura Kenny (The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (1851 Trust) have also confirmed their participation, as have former Arsenal captain Tony Adams (The Forward Trust), ex‑England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook (Ruth Strauss Foundation) and tennis star Laura Robson (Give It Your Max). In a whimsical twist, the beloved cartoon figure Daddy Pig will appear both on‑screen and on the streets, with a costumed runner representing the National Deaf Children’s Society and an upcoming episode of the children’s series "Peppa Pig" featuring the marathon.
Actors Jack O’Connell (Alzheimer’s Research UK), James Norton (Breakthrough T1D) and McFly drummer Harry Judd are also slated to run, and a full celebrity roster can be found on the official marathon website. Sporting legends Sir Mo Farah and England women’s rugby star Ellie Kildunne will serve as the official starters for the 2026 race.
Farah returns to the London Marathon for the first time since ending his track career in 2024, while Kildunne, a key figure in England’s Six Nations victory over Wales the day before, will join him at the front of the pack. The marathon’s history of high‑profile starters includes Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Andy Murray, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson OBE, Jill Scott MBE, Ellen White MBE, Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes. Their participation underscores the event’s cultural significance beyond the sport of running. On the elite side, all four defending champions are back: Sebastian Sawe (men’s), Tigist Assefa (women’s), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair).
Assefa entered the race as the favorite after shattering the women‑only world record on her victorious 2025 run, though Olympic champion Sifan Hassan withdrew with an Achilles injury. The men’s race is expected to be a tight duel between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, who set a half‑marathon world record earlier this year, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in contention. In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug aims to equal British Paralympian David Weir’s record of six London Marathon victories, while Catherine Debrunner seeks a fourth women’s wheelchair title after missing the course record by just two seconds in 2025.
Weather forecasts predict a dry day with intermittent sunshine and light breezes. Temperatures should sit around 10 °C (50 °F) at the start, climbing to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon – ideal conditions 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 Tigist Assefa in 2025). Hug’s five‑year streak in the men’s wheelchair race and Debrunner’s three wins in the women’s wheelchair event over the past four years highlight the dominance of these athletes.
Spectators will once again flood the streets, with the areas around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf expected to be the most densely packed. Runners and fans can track participants in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows searches 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 opens at 09:00 am on Friday 24 April and closes at 16:00 pm on Friday 1 May, giving hopeful entrants another chance to join this iconic event.