The London Marathon has been a fixture on the global running calendar since its inaugural edition in 1981, and over the past four decades the event has generated more than £1.4 billion for charitable causes. As part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the race sits alongside the other elite six‑star marathons – Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and, starting in 2025, Sydney – and is widely regarded as the crown jewel of British sport. Historically the marathon is run in April, but the COVID‑19 outbreak forced organizers to shift the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions to October.
For 2026 the classic April slot returns, and the schedule this year is as follows: the wheelchair division will kick off at 08:50 am on Sunday, the women’s elite field will line up at 09:05 am, and the men’s elite and mass‑participation waves will both start at 09:35 am. The course itself remains faithful to the route that has become iconic for runners and spectators alike. Participants will set off from three colour‑coded starting areas – 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 east through Woolwich, passing the historic Cutty Sark and the Thames riverside.
The route then weaves through Deptford, the modern waterfront of Surrey Quays, and the historic docks of Rotherhithe before reaching the 20 km mark at the foot of London Bridge. From there the marathon swings further east toward the gleaming skyscrapers of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, before looping back across the river to the historic neighborhoods of Shadwell and Wapping. Runners then sprint past Tower Hill, cross the Embankment, and enjoy a spectacular view of the London Eye on the left as they approach the Palace of Westminster.
Big Ben looms ahead, and the final stretch takes athletes past the Houses of Parliament, through St James’s Park, and alongside Buckingham Palace before the finish line on The Mall, a grand conclusion that is broadcast to a global audience. Entry numbers are set to break another record this year. After a historic ballot that attracted 1.13 million applications, the organisers anticipate more than 59,000 runners will line up at the start, eclipsing the previous high of 56,640 finishers recorded in 2025. That 2025 figure itself had held the world record for marathon finishers until it was overtaken by the TCS New York City Marathon, which saw 59,226 athletes cross its finish line in November.
The celebrity roster for 2026 does not include pop sensation Harry Styles, despite ongoing speculation among his fans. Styles did capture headlines when he broke the three‑hour barrier at the Berlin Marathon last year and also completed the Tokyo Marathon in 2025, so a surprise appearance remains a tantalising possibility for spectators. Among the confirmed celebrity athletes are four‑time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who is fundraising for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, and legendary jockey Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy, making his marathon debut for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympians Dame Laura Kenny (supporting The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (backing 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).
In a unique crossover between television and sport, the animated character Daddy Pig will be represented both on‑screen in an upcoming episode of "Peppa Pig" and by a runner in a specially designed costume, raising awareness for the National Deaf Children’s Society. Additional celebrity participants include actor Jack O’Connell (Alzheimer’s Research UK), James Norton (Breakthrough T1D), and McFly drummer Harry Judd, with a full list of celebrity entries available on the official marathon website.
The official starters for the 2026 edition will be sprint legend Sir Mo Farah, returning to the race for the first time since retiring from elite athletics in 2024, and England women’s rugby star Ellie Kildunne, who helped the Red Roses win the Rugby World Cup and featured in the England Six Nations clash against Wales just the day before the marathon. Past starters have included members of the Royal Family, such as the late Queen Elizabeth II, sporting icons like Sir Andy Murray, the Lionesses captain Leah Williamson OBE, and multiple Olympic medallists Jill Scott MBE, Ellen White MBE, Sir Steve Redgrave, and Dame Kelly Holmes.
The elite fields are stacked with defending champions across both the running and wheelchair divisions. In the women’s elite race, Tigist Assefa arrives as the defending champion after shattering the women‑only world record on her way to a victory last year; however, Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn due to an Achilles injury. The men’s elite competition is expected to be a tight battle between defending champion Sebastian Sawe and half‑marathon world‑record holder Jacob Kiplimo, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also listed as serious contenders. Wheelchair athletes Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner will be looking to add to their impressive records.
Hug could tie the British Paralympian David Weir for the most wins in the men’s wheelchair division if he repeats his five‑year streak, while Debrunner aims to improve on a near‑record performance that fell just two seconds short of the world mark on the London course last year. Weather forecasts for race day suggest a dry day with sunshine, light breezes, and temperatures hovering around 10 °C (50 °F) at the start, climbing to a mild 17 °C (63 °F) by mid‑afternoon – conditions that are generally considered favorable for fast times. The current course records stand at 2:01:25 for men, set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, and 2:15:50 for women, achieved by Assefa in 2025. In the wheelchair categories, Hug holds the men’s record from his 2023 victory, while Debrunner has secured three wins in the women’s wheelchair event over the past four years.
Crowd estimates run into the hundreds of thousands, with the sections around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf attracting the densest concentrations of spectators. Runners and fans can track progress in real time via the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows users to search by participant name or bib number. Looking ahead, the next edition of the race is scheduled for Sunday, 25 April 2027, with the public ballot opening from 09:00 am on Friday 24 April and closing at 16:00 pm on Friday 1 May, giving another hopeful generation of runners the chance to be part of this historic event.