London Marathon 2026: Record Participation and Elite Competitions The 46th London Marathon is set to see more than 59,000 runners complete the 26.2-mile course on Sunday. This follows the 2025 event, which recorded 56,640 finishers, setting a world record for the number of participants despite hot conditions. Organizers are currently discussing the possibility of holding a two-day event in 2027, which could accommodate up to 100,000 finishers and raise over £130 million for charity. The elite races will feature all four defending champions: Ethiopian Sabastian Sawe, Ethiopian Tigst Assefa, Swiss wheelchair racer Marcel Hug, and Swiss wheelchair athlete Catherine Debrunner. British athletes such as Mahamed Mahamed, Phil Sesemann, Patrick Dever, Rose Harvey, Eilish McColgan, Jess Warner-Judd, David Weir, and Eden Rainbow-Cooper will compete in the event. Four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah and England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne will officially start the race in Greenwich Park, live on the BBC. The marathon’s route begins at Greenwich Park and ends on The Mall, where runners will cross the finishing line after passing Buckingham Palace. The mostly flat course, with a total elevation gain of 246 feet, includes landmarks such as Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, and Big Ben. Last year’s event saw Assefa set a women-only world record of 2:15:50, while Sawe won the men’s race in 2:02:27. The official cut-off time for the race is eight hours after the last runner starts at 11:30, with The Mall closing at 19:30 and the finish line relocating to St James’s Park. In the men’s elite race, Sawe aims to retain his title and challenge Kelvin Kiptum’s course record of 2:01:25. Sawe, who finished 62 seconds slower than Kiptum’s previous London best, has a personal best of 2:02:05.#london_marathon_2026 #sabastian_sawe #tigst_assefa #marcel_hug #catherine_debrunner
