The London Marathon has become 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 the newly added Sydney race in 2025 – it attracts elite athletes, amateur enthusiasts and high‑profile celebrities every April. (The event was temporarily shifted to October for three years, 2020‑2022, because of the COVID‑19 pandemic, but the traditional spring slot has now returned.) **Start times and wheelchair competition** The 2026 edition will kick off early on Sunday morning. The wheelchair division is slated to leave the start line at 8:50 a.m., followed by the women’s elite field at 9:05 a.m.
The men’s elite race and the mass‑participation wave will both begin at 9:35 a.m. This staggered schedule helps to keep the course clear for the fastest competitors while still allowing the massive crowd of recreational runners to enjoy a smooth experience.
**Course layout** Runners will once again follow the classic London Marathon route, launching from colour‑coded starting zones – Red, Blue and Green – located in Greenwich Park and Blackheath. By the third mile, near Charlton, the three streams merge into a single line that heads westward through Woolwich, skirting the historic Cutty Sark museum and the River Thames.
The path then weaves through Deptford, Surrey Quays and Rotherhithe, reaching the 20 km marker as it passes the iconic London Bridge. From there the route turns east toward the modern skyline of Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs, before looping back through the historic docklands of Shadwell and Wapping.
Runners then swing north past Tower Hill, glide along the banks of the River Thames at Blackfriars, and continue down the Embankment with the London Eye on their left and Big Ben looming ahead. The final stretch runs past the Houses of Parliament, through St James’s Park and by Buckingham Palace, before the finish line on The Mall welcomes the last competitors.
**Entry numbers and records** A staggering 1.13 million ballot applications were received for the 2026 race, setting a new world record for marathon demand. Organisers anticipate that more than 59 000 participants will line up at the start, surpassing the 56 640 finishers recorded in 2025. That 2025 total had itself eclipsed the previous world record until the TCS New York City Marathon posted 59 226 finishers in November of the same year. **Celebrity and sporting icons** While pop star Harry Styles does not appear on the official celebrity start list, speculation remains that the Grammy‑winning singer might slip in unnoticed, especially after his impressive sub‑three‑hour performance at the Berlin Marathon last year and his participation in the Tokyo Marathon in 2025.
Other notable names include four‑time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel, who is running to raise money for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust, and legendary jockey Sir Anthony McCoy, tackling his first marathon for the Matt Hampson Foundation. Olympians Dame Laura Kenny (supporting The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust) and Sir Ben Ainslie (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 pro Laura Robson (Give It Your Max). In a whimsical twist, the cartoon character Daddy Pig will appear both on‑screen and in a specially designed costume on the streets, representing the National Deaf Children’s Society. Actors Jack O’Connell (Alzheimer’s Research UK), James Norton (Breakthrough T1D) and McFly drummer Harry Judd are also confirmed, with a full celebrity roster available on the official marathon website.
**Starters and past legends** The official starters for 2026 will be sprint legend Sir Mo Farah – returning for his first London Marathon since retiring from track in 2024 – and Red Roses Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne, who played in England’s Six Nations clash against Wales just the day before. 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. **Elite competition** All four defending champions will line up in the elite fields: Sebastian Sawe (men’s), Tigist Assefa (women’s), Marcel Hug (men’s wheelchair) and Catherine Debrunner (women’s wheelchair).
Assefa entered the 2026 race as the favorite after shattering the women‑only world record en route to last year’s victory, although Olympic champion Sifan Hassan has withdrawn with an Achilles injury. The men’s race is expected to be a tight duel between Sawe and Jacob Kiplimo, the half‑marathon world‑record holder, with Ethiopia’s Deresa Geleta and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto also in contention.
In the wheelchair division, Marcel Hug could equal British Paralympian David Weir’s record of six London Marathon victories if he repeats his 2023 win, while Catherine Debrunner seeks a fourth women’s wheelchair title after missing the course record by just two seconds last year. **Weather forecast** Meteorologists predict a dry day with intermittent sunshine and light breezes. Temperatures should hover around 10 °C (50 °F) at the start, climbing to a mild 17 °C (63 °F) by early afternoon – conditions that many runners consider ideal for a fast performance. **Course records** 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 benchmark.
In the wheelchair categories, 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 and technology** Hundreds of thousands of fans will line the streets, with the sections around the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf expected to be the most densely packed.
Runners and supporters can track progress in real time using the official TCS London Marathon app, which allows searches by name or bib number. **Looking ahead** The next marathon is scheduled for Sunday, 25 April 2027.
The public ballot for that edition will open at 9 a.m. on Friday, 24 April, and close at 4 p.m. on Friday, 1 May, giving hopeful participants another chance to join this world‑renowned event.