London Marathon 2026

The London Marathon sends a huge field over 26.2 miles through the capital each spring, with demand far beyond the number of places available. More than one million people entered the ballot for the race, a record total, which indicates how hard it is to get a bib. It is an Abbott World Marathon Major, but it still works as a mass race for first-time marathoners, charity runners, club runners, and fast amateurs as well as elites. The route is flat by marathon standards, with only one small rise, and it ranks among the world’s quickest courses. Runners start from three areas around Greenwich Park and Blackheath, loop through Greenwich, cross Tower Bridge, circle Canary Wharf, follow stretches by the Thames, pass the Tower of London and Trafalgar Square, and finish on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. Its speed is not just theory: Tigist Assefa ran a women-only world record of 2:15:50 here.