The London Marathon has been a cornerstone of the global running calendar since its inaugural edition in 1981, and over the past four decades it has raised 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, starting in 2025, Sydney – the event attracts elite athletes, amateur enthusiasts, and high‑profile celebrities from around the world. Traditionally staged in April, the race 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 weekend 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 staggered launch that eases crowd flow and gives spectators multiple moments of excitement. All runners will start from colour‑coded corrals – Red, Blue and Green – located in either Greenwich Park or Blackheath, depending on the size of the entry wave. By the third mile, near Charlton, the separate corrals merge onto a single course that threads through historic East London neighbourhoods.
Runners head westward through Woolwich, passing the iconic Cutty Sark, then continue along the Thames through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe. The 20‑kilometre point arrives as participants cross the iconic London Bridge, offering a spectacular view of the river and the city skyline.
From there the route veers east toward the financial district, looping past Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs before swinging back westward through the lively streets of Shadwell and Wapping. The course then skirts Tower Hill, moves toward Blackfriars, and follows the Embankment, where the London Eye looms to the left and the chimes of Big Ben can be heard ahead.
Runners glide past Westminster, cut through St James’s Park and glide alongside Buckingham Palace before making the final sprint down The Mall, finishing under the watchful eyes of the royal palace. Organisers anticipate a record‑breaking field this year. After a historic 1.13 million ballot applications – the highest number ever recorded for a marathon – more than 59,000 participants are expected to line up at the start.
The 2025 edition saw 56,640 finishers, a world‑record that was later eclipsed by the TCS New York City Marathon’s 59,226 finishers in November 2025. The sheer scale of the London Marathon makes it a cultural event as much as a sporting one, drawing crowds of hundreds of thousands along the route, especially at high‑traffic points such as the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. Celebrity involvement adds another layer of intrigue. While pop star Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list, fans remain hopeful of a surprise entry after his impressive sub‑three‑hour performance at the Berlin Marathon last year and his participation in Tokyo 2025.
Other notable entrants 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, 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 (representing the 1851 Trust) are also slated to run, 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 event even features a whimsical appearance by the cartoon character Daddy Pig, who will be represented both in a specially designed costume on the streets and in an upcoming episode of the children’s series Peppa Pig.
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 their participation. A full celebrity lineup for the 2026 TCS London Marathon can be consulted on the official website. Sporting legends Sir Mo Farah and England women’s rugby star Ellie Kildunne will serve as the official starters. Farah returns to the marathon for the first time since retiring from track athletics in 2024, while Kildunne, fresh from England’s Six Nations clash against Wales the previous day, will join him at the starting line.
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, underscoring the event’s broad appeal across royalty, sport and entertainment. The elite fields are stacked with defending champions. In the women’s race, Tigist Assefa (who shattered the women‑only world record on her 2025 victory) will lead a competitive pack that also features Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, although Hassan withdrew with an Achilles injury. The men’s elite showdown is expected to be a tight duel between Sebastian Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, the latter having set a half‑marathon world record earlier this year.
Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto are also in contention for the title. In the wheelchair divisions, Marcel Hug aims to equal British Paralympian David Weir as the most successful athlete in marathon history, while Catherine Debrunner returns after missing the world record by a mere two seconds in 2025.
Both have dominated their respective categories in recent years, with Hug securing five consecutive men’s wheelchair victories and Debrunner winning three of the last four women’s events. Weather forecasts predict a dry day with intermittent sunshine, light breezes and temperatures starting around 10 °C (50 °F) at the opening gun and climbing to a pleasant 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon – ideal conditions for fast times. The current men’s course record of 2:01:25, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, and the women’s record of 2:15:50, posted by Assefa last year, remain the benchmarks for elite competitors.
Spectators will line the streets in massive numbers, creating a festive atmosphere that has become synonymous with the London Marathon. The official TCS London Marathon app offers live tracking, allowing friends and family to follow runners by name or bib number in real time. Looking ahead, the next edition is scheduled for Sunday 25 April 2027, with the public ballot opening on 24 April 2026 at 09:00 and closing on 1 May 2026 at 16:00. The continued growth of entries, the allure of a world‑class course, and the blend of elite sport and charitable spirit ensure that the London Marathon will remain a highlight of the global sporting calendar for years to come.