The London Marathon has been a fixture on the global athletics calendar since its inaugural run in 1981, and over the past four decades it has amassed more than £1.4 billion for charitable causes. As one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, the race sits alongside the iconic events in Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York City, and from 2025 it also shares the elite company of the Sydney Marathon. Traditionally staged in April, the event was temporarily shifted to October between 2020 and 2022 because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, but the 2026 edition returns to its spring slot.
**Start times and wheelchair race** The 2026 wheelchair competition will kick off at 08:50 a.m. on Sunday, followed closely by the women’s elite field at 09:05 a.m. The men’s elite race and the mass‑participation start are scheduled for 09:35 a.m.
All participants will line up at colour‑coded start zones—Red, Blue and Green—located in either Greenwich Park or Blackheath. By the third mile, near Charlton, the three streams converge into a single route that will guide runners through a series of historic London neighbourhoods.
**Course description** From the merge point, the course heads westward through Woolwich, skirting the River Thames and passing the historic Cutty Sark. Runners then weave through Deptford, the modern waterfront at Surrey Quays, and the lively district of Rotherhithe before reaching the 20 km marker at London Bridge. The route continues east toward the towering skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, before looping back across the river to the historic streets of Shadwell and Wapping.
After a brief spell alongside Tower Hill, the marathon heads toward Blackfriars, runs along the Embankment with the London Eye on the left, and rolls past the clock tower of Big Ben. The final stretch takes athletes past the Houses of Parliament, through St James’s Park, and alongside Buckingham Palace before they cross The Mall for the finish line. **Entry numbers and records** Entry demand has never been higher. A world‑record 1.13 million ballot applications were received for the previous edition, and organizers anticipate more than 59 000 starters on race day.
The 2025 race produced a then‑record 56 640 finishers, a figure later eclipsed by the TCS New York City Marathon, which recorded 59 226 finishers in November 2025. The sheer scale of participation underscores the marathon’s status as a global charity‑fundraising powerhouse. **Celebrity and sporting stars** While pop sensation Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list, speculation persists that the Grammy‑winning singer‑songwriter might make a covert entry after his impressive sub‑three‑hour performance at the Berlin Marathon last year and his appearance in Tokyo in 2025. Former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel will be in the field, raising 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 champions Dame Laura Kenny (supporting The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (the 1851 Trust) are also slated to run, as are former Arsenal captain Tony Adams (The Forward Trust), ex‑England cricketer Sir Alastair Cook (the Ruth Strauss Foundation) and tennis star Laura Robson (Give It Your Max).
The cartoon icon Daddy Pig will make a dual appearance—both a runner in a custom‑made costume and a cameo in an upcoming episode of the children’s series *Peppa Pig*—to promote the National Deaf Children’s Society. Other notable participants include actor Jack O'Connell (Alzheimer's Research UK), James Norton of *House of Guinness* (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd.
A full roster of celebrities for the 2026 TCS London Marathon can be found on the official website. **Official starters** Four‑time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah will join the official starter lineup, marking his return to the marathon after retiring from track athletics in 2024. He will be accompanied by Red Roses Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne, who played in England’s Six Nations match against Wales just the day before.
Past starters have included royalty such as Queen Elizabeth II, sporting legends like Sir Andy Murray, Leah Williamson OBE, Jill Scott MBE, Ellen White MBE, Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes. **Elite competition** 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, who shattered the women‑only world record on her victorious 2025 run, leads the women's field, though Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn with an Achilles injury. The men’s race is expected to be a tactical showdown between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, the half‑marathon world‑record holder set earlier this year, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in contention.
In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug can equal British Paralympian David Weir’s record of six victories if he repeats his 2023 triumph, while Catherine Debrunner seeks to add a fourth win after missing the course record by a mere two seconds in 2025. **Weather forecast** Meteorologists predict dry conditions, intermittent sunshine and light breezes throughout the day. Temperatures should start around 10 °C (50 °F) at the gun time and rise to a comfortable 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon, ideal for fast performances.
**Historical performances** The men’s course record of 2:01:25 was set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, while Assefa’s 2:15:50 remains the women’s best. In the wheelchair races, Hug has dominated the men’s event for five consecutive years, setting a new course record in 2023, and Debrunner has claimed three of the last four women’s titles.
**Spectators and technology** Hundreds of thousands of fans will line the streets, with the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf sections expected to attract the largest crowds. Runners can be tracked in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows supporters 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 opens at 09:00 a.m. on Friday, 24 April, and closes at 16:00 p.m. on Friday, 1 May, giving hopeful entrants a narrow window to secure their place in the world’s most celebrated charity run.