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Thousands will race for glory and good causes as they take part in the iconic London Marathon - Getty Images/SOPA Images Limited
The London Marathon, a fixture of the spring sporting calendar returns today – Sunday, April 27.
A record field of more than 56,000 runners will follow the famous route from Greenwich to The Mall – taking in landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Big Ben.
In the men’s race, Eliud Kipchoge will return to London for the first time since 2020 to chase a fifth victory. In the women’s race, Olympic champion and 2023 winner Sifan Hassan will line up alongside Paris 2024 silver medallist Tigst Assefa.
Alex Yee and Eilish McColgan are both leading British hopes for this year’s race. Yee, the reigning Olympic and world triathlon champion is making his marathon debut, while McColgan, a three-time European medallist in distance races, will also be making her marathon debut.
Meanwhile, transgender woman will be allowed to enter Sunday’s race as females despite the Supreme Court ruling on single-sex spaces. Hugh Brasher, the race director, confirmed those taking part in the event would remain able to self -identify as male, female or non-binary, regardless of their birth sex.
When is the 2025 London Marathon? Time and date
The London Marathon 2025 takes place today – Sunday, April 27.
The elite and wheelchair races set off at staggered times, with the elite wheelchair men’s and women’s races getting under way at 8.50am (BST).
The elite women’s race starts at 9.05am, while the elite men hit the road at 9:35am. The masses also start from 9.35am, with runners continuing to cross the start line in a sequence of waves until 11:30am.
The London Marathon route for 2025: Where does it start and finish?
The London Marathon route follows its usual course, starting in Greenwich and Blackheath where entrants are split into three lines which converge at the three-mile mark. The route heads east into Woolwich, then back west towards Greenwich town centre, through Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.
From there it crosses north over Tower Bridge, which signals the approximate halfway mark. Athletes then complete a circuit around Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs before the course runs west along the north bank of the Thames past the Tower of London towards Trafalgar Square and onto the Mall where it finishes in front of Buckingham Palace.
To download a map of the course, click here.
Some of London’s most famous landmarks feature on the course.
- Cutty Sark, mile six
- Tower Bridge, mile 12
- Tower of London, mile 22
- London Eye, mile 25
- Big Ben, mile 25
- Buckingham Palace, mile 26
What are the best viewing spots?
The busiest spots on the course are usually Greenwich, Tower Bridge and Westminster. There are usually fewer spectators from mile 9-12 (Rotherhithe and Bermondsey) and mile 14-21 (Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs).
For the chance to see the runners pass by twice, head to The Highway in Wapping which is used first from west to east and then again from east to west, although this tends to be a popular viewing point.
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Tower Bridge is one of the London Marathon course’s busiest spots, as runners approach the halfway mark - Getty Images/Jamie Lorriman
Best celebration spots: Pubs and bars
The Royal Standard Pub, mile one
Address: 44 Vanbrugh Park, London SE3 7JQ.
The Dial Arch, mile three
Address: Riverside, The Warren, No 1 Street, Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, London SE18 6GH
The Cutty Sark, mile seven
Address: 4 – 6 Ballast Quay, Greenwich SE10 9PD
The Mayflower, mile 11
Address: 117 Rotherhithe St, London SE16 4NF
The Raven, mile 12
Address: 218 Tower Bridge Rd, London SE1 2UP
George Poplar, mile 17
Address: 114 Glengall Grove, London E14 3ND
The Henry Addington, mile 18
Address: 22-28 Mackenzie Walk, London E14 4PH
The Banker, mile 23
Address: Cousin Lane, London EC4R 3TE
Walkers of Whitehall, mile 25
Address: 15 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DD
Buckingham Arms, finish line
Address: 62 Petty France, London SW1H 9EU
How many people run the London Marathon?
More than 56,000 runners are expected to take part in this year’s marathon. That would exceed the current record of 55,646 finishers set by the New York Marathon in November.
London Marathon prize money
Last year’s race was the first time equal prize money was offered for the wheelchair and able-bodied races. In 2024, the winner of each elite race took home £44,000.
The prize money on offer this year is the same, with £44,000 going to each winner, the runners-up earning £23,100 and third-place £17,400.
What TV channel is the London Marathon on?
The London Marathon will be shown on BBC as well as BBC iPlayer and the Red Button. This year’s broadcast will start at 8.30am on BBC One and then move to BBC Two at 2pm until 3pm. Highlights will be shown on BBC Two at 6pm.
The BBC iPlayer will be showing footage from 11.30am to 6pm. There will also be two live streams from Tower Bridge (11.30am-2.30pm) and the finish line (1pm-6pm) on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app.
Commentary is from Andrew Cotter, Steve Cram, Paula Radcliffe and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, while Abby Cook, JJ Chalmers, Jeanette Kwakye and Sarah Mulkerrins will all be reporting from the 26.2-mile route.
Alternatively, you can bookmark this page and follow Telegraph Sport’s live coverage of the iconic race.
Stars to look out for in this year’s London Marathon
Sir Jason Kenny, Great Britain’s most successful Olympian is making his London Marathon debut, while Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alistair Cook, two former England cricket captains are running for the Ruth Strauss Foundation.
Celebrities such as comedian Romesh Ranganathan, singer Alexandra Burke and radio personality Adele Roberts will be running on Sunday. They will also be joined by the ‘Body Coach’ Joe Wicks, radio presenter Chris Evans, comedian Joel Dommett and former footballer John Terry.
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Former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss will take part in Sunday’s London Marathon - PA
What is the average London Marathon time?
Last year, competitors completed the London Marathon in an average time of 4hr 27min. A more detailed breakdown shows women averaged 4hr 49min, while men averaged 4hr 11min.
Who is in the men’s and women’s elite races?
Women (20)
Peres Jepchirchir (Ken, 2:16:16)
Ruth Chepngetich (Ken, 2:09:56)
Tigist Assefa (Eth, 2:11:53)
Sifan Hassan (Ned, 2:13:44)
Joyciline Jepkosgei (Ken, 2:16:24)
Megertu Alemu (Eth, 2:16:34)
Stella Chesang (Uga, 2:18:26)
Haven Hailu Desse (Eth, 2:19:29)
Susanna Sullivan (US, 2:21:56)
Charlotte Purdue (GB, 2:22:17)
Sofiia Yaremechuk (Ita, 2:23:16)
Rose Harvey (GB, 2:23:21)
Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (Mar, 2:24:12)
Philippa Bowden (GB, 2:25:47)
Lucy Reid (GB, 2:26:37)
Emily Durgin (US, 2:26:46)
Molly Bookmyer (US, 2:28:52)
Louise Small (GB, 2:29:33)
Eilish McColgan (GB, debut)
Holly Archer (GB, debut)
Men (43)
Eliud Kipchoge (Ken, 2:01:09)
Alexander Mutiso(Ken, 2:03:11)
Sabastian Sawe (Ken, 2:02:05)
Timothy Kiplagt (Ken, 2:02:55)
Milkesa Mengesha (Eth, 2:03:17)
Tamirat Tola (Eth, 2:03:39)
Mohamed Esa (Eth, 2:04:39)
Abdi Nageeye (Ned, 2:04:45)
Hillary Kipkoech (Ken,2:04:45)
Amanal Petros (Ger, 2:04:58)
Sondre Nordstad Moen (Nor, 2:05:48)
Yemaneberhan Crippa (Ita, 2:06:06)
Andrew Buchanan (Aus, 2:06:22)
Mahamed Mahamed (GB, 2:07:05)
Brett Robinson (Aus, 2:07:31)
Jacob Sommer Simonsen (Den, 2:07:51)
Philip Sesemann (GB, 2:08:02)
Adam Lipschitz (RSA, 2:08:54)
Jonathan Mellor (GB, 2:09:06)
Dewi Griffiths (GB, 2:09:49)
Weynay Ghebresilasie (GB, 2:09:50)
Jake Smith (GB, 2:11:00)
Jack Rayner (Aus, 2:11:06)
Kevin Salvano (US, 2:11:26)
Luke Caldwell (GB, 2:11:33)
Marcelo Laguera (Mex, 2:11:54)
Dan Nash (GB, 2:12:59)
Andrew Heyes (GB, 2:13:52)
Alexander Lepretre (GB, 2:15:01)
David Bishop (GB, 2:15:19)
Logan Smith (GB, 2:15:49)
William Mycroft (GB, 2:15:54)
James Hoad (GB, 2:16:29)
Alex Milne (GB, 2:16:30)
Chris Thomas (GB, 2:16:32)
Carl Avery (GB, 2:17:01)
Sean Hogan (GB, 2:17:02)
Jacob Kiplimo (UGA, debut)
Alex Yee (GB, debut)
Jonathan Davies (GB, debut)
Jacob Allen (GB, debut)
Jack Rowe (GB, debut)
Who won the London Marathon in 2024?
Kenya’s Alexander Mutiso held off distance-running great Kenensia Bekele to win last year’s race. Behind them British duo of Emile Cairess and Mahamed Mahamed finished third and fourth.
Cairess’ time of 2:06:46 in 2024 made him the second-fastest British man of all-time over the distance and the first to finish on the podium since Sir Mo Farah in 2018.
The women’s winner in 2024 was Peres Jepchirchir – who won the marathon in a new women’s only world record time – the fastest time in a race without male pacemakers.
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Emile Cairess (left) celebrates his third place with compatriot Mahamed Mahamed who finished fourth in last year’s marathon - Getty Images/Karwai Tang
London Marathon records
Kelvin Kiptum broke the course record, with a 2hr 1min 25sec time in 2023. Paula Radcliffe holds the women’s course record, with a time of 2:15:25, set in 2003.
When was the first London Marathon?
The first London Marathon took place on March 29, 1981. Inspired by the New York City Marathon’s launch in 1970, Olympic steeplechase medallists Chris Brasher and John Disley created the London edition with hope to “provide some happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world”.
Only 7,741 runners set out from Greenwich Park for the first London Marathon, a fraction of the 50,000-plus expected to cross the start line this Sunday.
How to enter the London Marathon
There are six ways to secure a place at the 2026 London Marathon: through the ballot, charity entry, good for age entry, British Athletics Club entry, deferred entry or through a tour operator, for those who live abroad.
The TCS London Marathon MyWay also allows people to complete a 26.2-mile route of their choosing, wherever they are in the world.
London Marathon ballot: when is it and how does it work?
London Marathon hopefuls can enter through the ballot for free, with successful applicants selected at random. The ballot for the 2026 London Marathon will open on Friday April 25 – two days before this year’s event – and close on Friday May 2.
Winners will earn a place in next year’s race, which will be held on April 26, 2026.
Those who choose to donate at a reduced entry fee of £49.99 – the regular fee is £79.99 – will have access to an exclusive second ballot, more than doubling their chances of getting selected.
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