The London Marathon has become a cornerstone 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, the event sits alongside Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and, starting in 2025, Sydney, forming the most prestigious series of 26.2‑mile (42.195 km) road races worldwide.
Traditionally staged in April, the marathon was temporarily shifted to October for three years (2020‑2022) because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, but the organizers have now returned to the spring slot. This year’s schedule begins with the wheelchair competition at 08:50 am on Sunday, followed by the women’s elite field at 09:05 am.
The men’s elite race and the mass‑participation start are slated for 09:35 am, creating a tightly packed morning of world‑class competition and community enthusiasm. The 2026 route mirrors the classic London Marathon layout, with runners filing out of three colour‑coded starting 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 westward through Woolwich, skirting the historic Cutty Sark and then winding through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe. Around the 20 km mark participants cross the iconic London Bridge, after which the path veers east toward the modern skyline of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs.
The route then loops back through the riverside neighbourhoods of Shadwell and Wapping, passes the imposing Tower Hill, and continues along the Thames embankment past the Southbank cultural quarter. Runners get a spectacular view of the London Eye on their left and hear the chimes of Big Ben as they approach Westminster. The final stretch takes them past the historic St James’s Park, alongside Buckingham Palace, and down The Mall, where crowds line the streets to cheer the finishers. A detailed map of the course is available on the official marathon website for those who want to study every turn.
Participation numbers are expected to smash previous records. After a historic ballot that attracted 1.13 million applications, more than 59,000 athletes are projected to line up at the start. The 2025 edition saw 56,640 finishers—a world‑record at the time—until it was eclipsed by the TCS New York City Marathon, which recorded 59,226 finishers last November.
This surge in entries reflects the marathon’s growing reputation as a platform for both elite competition and charitable fundraising. Among the celebrity crowd, pop star Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list, but fans remain hopeful that the Grammy‑winning singer might slip in a surprise entry, especially after his impressive sub‑three‑hour performance at the Berlin Marathon last year and his participation in the Tokyo Marathon in 2025. Other high‑profile participants include four‑time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is running to support the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, and legendary jockey Sir Anthony "AP" McCoy, who is tackling his first marathon on behalf of the Matt Hampson Foundation.
Olympic champions Dame Laura Kenny (running for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (supporting 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 star Laura Robson (Give It Your Max). The marathon even features a whimsical entry: the cartoon character Daddy Pig, representing the National Deaf Children’s Society, will appear both in a specially designed costume on the streets and in an upcoming episode of the children’s series Peppa Pig. Additional celebrity runners include actor Jack O'Connell (Alzheimer's Research UK), James Norton of "House of Guinness" (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd.
A complete roster of celebrity participants for the 2026 TCS London Marathon can be found on the event’s website. The official starters for the 2026 race are athletics legend Sir Mo Farah and rugby star Ellie Kildunne. Farah returns to the London Marathon for the first time since retiring from track competition in 2024, while Kildunne, a member of the Red Roses squad that won the Rugby World Cup, will be on the course after playing in England’s Six Nations match 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 marathon’s broad cultural appeal. The elite fields feature all four defending champions: Sebastian Sawe (men’s elite), Tigist Assefa (women’s elite), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair). Assefa currently leads the women’s race after shattering the women‑only world record en route to her 2025 victory, although Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn due to an Achilles injury.
The men’s race is expected to be a tight duel between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, who set the half‑marathon world record earlier this year, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in contention. In the wheelchair divisions, Marcel Hug could tie British Paralympian David Weir as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history if he repeats his fifth consecutive win. Catherine Debrunner, who missed the world record by just two seconds on the London course last year, will be seeking a fourth victory in the women’s wheelchair race.
Weather forecasts predict dry conditions with intermittent sunshine and light breezes throughout the day. Temperatures are expected to be around 10 °C (50 °F) at the start, climbing to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon, providing ideal conditions for fast times.
Course records remain fresh in runners’ minds: Kelvin Kiptum set the men’s marathon record at 2:01:25 in 2023, while Assefa posted a women’s record of 2:15:50 last year. 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.
Spectator numbers will swell into the hundreds of thousands, with the sections around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf expected to be the most densely packed. The official TCS London Marathon app will provide live tracking of participants, allowing friends and family to follow runners by name or bib number in real time. 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 am on Friday, 24 April, and close at 16:00 pm on Friday, 1 May, giving hopeful entrants another chance to join this celebrated global event.