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, from 2025, Sydney – the event occupies a revered place in the sport, attracting elite athletes, seasoned amateurs, and first‑time participants alike.
Historically staged in April, the race was temporarily shifted to October for three years (2020‑2022) because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, but the spring slot has now returned. 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, giving spectators a full morning of high‑speed action. The 2026 course sticks to the classic London route that runners have come to recognise.
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 three streams converge into a single path that heads westward through Woolwich, skirts the historic Cutty Sark, and then weaves through the neighborhoods of Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe.
At the 20 km mark the route crosses the iconic London Bridge, offering runners a dramatic view of the Thames. From there the marathon pushes east toward the gleaming skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs before looping back through the riverside districts of Shadwell and Wapping.
The course then swings north, passing Tower Hill and the historic Blackfriars Bridge, before settling onto the Embankment. Runners have the London Eye on their left and the clock tower of Big Ben ahead as they glide past Westminster, continue toward St James’s Park, and finally make a triumphant finish down The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. A detailed map of the route is available on the official marathon website.
This weekend’s event is set to attract a record‑breaking field. After a staggering 1.13 million ballot applications – a world‑record figure – organisers anticipate more than 59,000 athletes lining up at the start. The previous year’s race produced 56,640 finishers, a high that held the world record until the TCS New York City Marathon eclipsed it with 59,226 finishers last November. Among the celebrity entrants, pop star Harry Styles is notably absent from the official celebrity start list, though fans continue to speculate about a possible stealth entry.
Styles made headlines last year when he shattered the three‑hour barrier at the Berlin Marathon and also completed the Tokyo Marathon in 2025, so a surprise appearance cannot be ruled out. 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 (advocating 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). In a whimsical twist, the cartoon character Daddy Pig will appear both on‑screen and in real life, with a runner dressed in a custom‑made costume and a forthcoming 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 on the celebrity roster, and a full list can be accessed through the marathon’s official portal.
Sporting legends Sir Mo Farah and England rugby star Ellie Kildunne will serve as the official starters for 2026. Farah returns to the London Marathon for the first time since retiring from track in 2024, while Kildunne, a Red Roses Rugby World Cup winner, will be fresh off England’s Six Nations clash against Wales the previous day. Past starters have included Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Andy Murray, Lionesses captain Leah Williamson OBE, Jill Scott MBE, Ellen White MBE, Sir Steve Redgrave and Dame Kelly Holmes. The elite fields feature all four defending champions: Sebastian Sawe (men’s), Tigist Assefa (women’s), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair).
Assefa currently leads the women’s pack after setting a new women‑only record en route to her 2025 victory, although 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 earlier this year smashed the half‑marathon world record. Ethiopian contender Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto are also likely to challenge for the top spot. 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.
Catherine Debrunner is back after missing the course record by just two seconds in 2025, and will be eager to add another title to her tally. Weather forecasts predict dry conditions with intermittent sunshine and light breezes on race day. Temperatures should start around 10 °C (50 °F) at the gun and climb to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon, creating ideal running conditions for both elite competitors and the mass‑participation crowd.
Course records remain fresh in memory: Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:01:25 performance in 2023 still stands as the men’s fastest time, while Assefa’s 2:15:50 from last year is the women’s benchmark. In the wheelchair events, Hug’s five‑year winning streak includes a course record set in 2023, and Debrunner has claimed three victories in the last four editions. Spectators are expected to line the streets in the hundreds of thousands, with the sections around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf traditionally drawing the biggest crowds.
Runners can be tracked in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows fans to follow any participant by entering a 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 at 09:00 am on Friday, 24 April, and close at 16:00 pm on Friday, 1 May, giving hopeful entrants a narrow window to secure their place in the world’s most celebrated road race.