The London Marathon has become a staple of the global running calendar since its inaugural run 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, from 2025, Sydney – the race is a benchmark for elite and amateur athletes alike.
Historically staged in April, the event was shifted to October for the 2020‑2022 editions because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, but it will revert to its traditional spring slot for 2026. The wheelchair competition will kick off at 08:50 am on Sunday, followed shortly by the women’s elite field at 09:05 am. The men’s elite race and the mass‑participation start will both commence at 09:35 am.
The 2026 route retains the classic layout that runners have come to recognize. Participants will line up in three colour‑coded corrals – Red, Blue and Green – which are based either in Greenwich Park or in Blackheath. By the third mile, near Charlton, the three streams converge into a single path that snakes through Woolwich, skirts the River Thames and passes the historic Cutty Sark. From there the course weaves through Deptford, the bustling Surrey Quays development and the riverside district of Rotherhithe, before reaching the 20 km mark at the iconic London Bridge.
After crossing the bridge, the marathon heads east toward the financial district of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, then loops back westward through the historic neighbourhoods of Shadwell and Wapping. Runners then make a dramatic pass beneath the Tower Hill area, continue on to Blackfriars, and follow the scenic Embankment. As they round the bend, the London Eye appears on the left and the resonant chimes of Big Ben loom ahead.
The route then threads past Westminster, glides through St James’s Park, brushes by Buckingham Palace and finally culminates on The Mall, where the finish line awaits. Participation this year is expected to smash previous records.
After a staggering 1.13 million ballot applications set a global benchmark, organisers anticipate more than 59,000 runners at the start line – a figure that would eclipse the 2025 tally of 56,640 finishers, which itself had been the world record until the TCS New York City Marathon logged 59,226 finishers last November. Among the celebrity entrants, pop‑star Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list, but speculation remains that the Grammy‑winning singer might slip in a covert entry, especially after his impressive sub‑three‑hour performance at the Berlin Marathon last year and his earlier appearance in Tokyo in 2025. Four‑time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel will be racing to raise funds for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, while legendary jockey Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy is tackling his first marathon on behalf of the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympians Dame Laura Kenny (supporting The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (representing the 1851 Trust) are also slated to compete, as are former Arsenal and England captain Tony Adams (The Forward Trust), ex‑England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook (the Ruth Strauss Foundation) and former tennis professional Laura Robson (Give It Your Max).
In a whimsical twist, the animated character Daddy Pig will be represented both on‑screen and in the streets, with a runner donning a specially made costume and an upcoming episode of the children’s series Peppa Pig highlighting the event. Other notable participants include actor Jack O'Connell (Alzheimer's Research UK), James Norton of the House of Guinness (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd, with a full roster of celebrities available via the official marathon website.
Sporting icons Sir Mo Farah and England rugby star Ellie Kildunne will serve as the official starters for the 2026 edition. Farah returns to the course for the first time since retiring from elite athletics in 2024, while Kildunne, a key figure in the Red Roses' Rugby World Cup triumph, will be fresh from a Six Nations clash against Wales the day before. Past starters have featured a distinguished line‑up that includes the late Queen Elizabeth II, tennis great Sir Andy Murray, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson OBE, former England footballers Jill Scott MBE and Ellen White MBE, rowing legend Sir Steve Redgrave and middle‑distance star Dame Kelly Holmes.
The elite fields are packed with defending champions: Sebastian Sawe, Tigst Assefa, Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner. Assefa entered the women’s race as the favorite after shattering the women‑only marathon record on her victorious 2025 run, though Olympic champion Sifan Hissan has withdrawn with an Achilles injury. The men’s elite showdown is expected to be a tight battle between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, the half‑marathon world‑record holder, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in the mix.
In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug could equal British Paralympian David Weir as the most successful athlete in London Marathon history if he repeats his fifth consecutive win, while Catherine Debrunner aims to add a fourth title after missing the course record by just two seconds last year. Weather forecasts predict a dry day with sunny intervals and light breezes.
Temperatures should sit around 10 °C (50 °F) at the start, climbing to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by early afternoon – ideal conditions for fast times. Kelvin Kiptum still holds the men’s course record, set in 2023 with a time of 2:01:25, while Assefa’s 2:15:50 performance from last year remains the women's best. Hug’s five‑year streak in the men’s wheelchair and Debrunner’s three victories in the women’s wheelchair over the past four years underline the dominance of these athletes.
Spectators in the thousands will line the streets, with the sections around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf expected to be the most crowded. Runners can track their progress in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows searches by name or bib number. The next edition of the race is scheduled for Sunday, 25 April 2027, and the public ballot for that event will open at 9 am on Friday, 24 April, remaining active until 4 pm on Friday, 1 May.