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, New York City and the newly added Sydney race in 2025 – it remains one of the most prestigious 26.2‑mile (42.195 km) contests on the planet. Traditionally staged in April, the event was temporarily shifted to October for three years (2020‑2022) because of the Covid‑19 pandemic, but the 2026 edition returns to its spring slot. The schedule for Sunday, 28 April 2026, begins with the wheelchair competition at 08:50 GMT, followed by the women’s elite field at 09:05 GMT.
The men’s elite race and the mass‑participation start are slated for 09:35 GMT. All competitors line up at colour‑coded starting zones – Red, Blue and Green – located in Greenwich Park and Blackheath.
By the third mile, near Charlton, the three streams converge onto a single route that will carry the athletes through a series of iconic London neighbourhoods. From Charlton the course heads westward along the Thames, passing historic Woolwich and the famous Cutty Sark.
Runners then weave through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe before reaching the 20 km point near London Bridge. The route swings east toward the modern skyline of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, then loops back across the river, threading through Shadwell and Wapping.
Approaching the City, the athletes cross Tower Hill, glide past Blackfriars, and follow the Embankment with the London Eye on their left and Big Ben looming ahead. The final kilometres wind through Westminster, past St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace, before culminating on The Mall in front of the historic palace. Organisers anticipate a record‑breaking turnout this weekend.
After a historic ballot that attracted 1.13 million applications, more than 59 000 runners are expected to line up at the start. The 2025 edition already set a high watermark with 56 640 finishers, a figure that was only eclipsed later that year by the TCS New York City Marathon, which recorded 59 226 finishers. Celebrity interest remains high, even though pop star Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list.
Fans continue to hope for a surprise entry after Styles impressed the running world by breaking the three‑hour barrier at the Berlin Marathon last year and completing the Tokyo Marathon in 2025. Other high‑profile participants include four‑time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is running to raise money for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, and legendary jockey Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy, who will tackle his first marathon on behalf of the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympic champions Dame Laura Kenny (supporting The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (representing the 1851 Trust) are also slated to compete, alongside former Arsenal captain Tony Adams (The Forward Trust), ex‑England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook (the Ruth Strauss Foundation) and former tennis pro Laura Robson (Give It Your Max).
Adding a touch of cartoon whimsy, the character Daddy Pig will appear both in a specially designed costume on the streets and in an upcoming episode of the children’s series Peppa Pig, raising awareness for the National Deaf Children’s Society. The entertainment roster continues with actor Jack O'Connell (Alzheimer's Research UK), James Norton (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd, all of whom have confirmed entries. A full list of celebrity runners for the 2026 TCS London Marathon can be accessed through the official marathon website. The official starters for this year’s race are distance‑running legend Sir Mo Farah and England women’s rugby star Ellie Kildunne.
Farah returns to the London Marathon for the first time since retiring from elite athletics 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 the marathon. Past starters have included members of the royal family 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. In the elite fields, all four defending champions are back: Sebastian Sawe (men’s elite), Tigist Assefa (women’s elite), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair). Assefa entered the 2026 race as the favourite after shattering the women‑only world record en route to her 2025 victory, though Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn with an Achilles injury.
The men’s elite showdown is expected to be a tight battle between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, who set a new half‑marathon world record earlier this year, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in contention. Wheelchair racing adds another layer of drama. Marcel Hug can equal British Paralympian David Weir’s record of six London Marathon victories if he wins again, while Catherine Debrunner aims to add a fourth title after missing the course record by just two seconds in 2025. Weather forecasts predict a dry day with sunny spells and light breezes.
Temperatures should start around 10 °C (50 °F) at the opening gun and rise to a comfortable 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 Assefa in 2022). In the wheelchair divisions, Hug’s 2023 performance remains the benchmark for men, while Debrunner’s three wins in the past four years cement her status as a dominant force. Spectator numbers will be massive, with the sections surrounding the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf expected to be the most densely packed.
Runners and fans can track progress in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows users 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 on Friday 24 April at 09:00 GMT and close on Friday 1 May at 16:00 GMT, giving hopeful entrants another chance to join this iconic event.