World Marathon Major · Runners & Spectators
London Marathon: The Complete Guide
One Sunday in April, 26.2 miles of closed road carry tens of thousands of runners from Blackheath to Buckingham Palace, watched by the better part of a million people. It is the biggest participation sporting event in the country and, since 2026, the fastest marathon ever run. This guide covers every way into the race, what the course actually does to you, and where to stand if you are watching.
The 2027 race is a world first
For the first time in its history the London Marathon is being staged over a full weekend. 45,000 runners go on Saturday 24 April 2027 and 55,000 on Sunday 25 April — 100,000 people in total, which no marathon anywhere has attempted before.
The reason is simply demand. The 2027 ballot took a record 1,338,544 applications, against roughly 1.13 million the year before. Everyone who entered was automatically placed in a random draw for both days and told by email which one they were assigned — you did not get to choose. Both days use the same course, the same Blackheath and Greenwich starts and the same finish on The Mall.
If you are spectating, plan for two race days rather than one: road closures, rail crowding and the whole central London disruption pattern now repeat on the Saturday.
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How to get a place
Five routes in. Only one of them is a lottery, and it is the one everybody tries first.
Public ballot
A pure random draw, exactly like a lottery — your time, your training and how many years you have applied make no difference whatsoever.
The 2027 ballot drew a record 1,338,544 applications. Entry cost £79.99 for UK applicants, with a ‘double your chances’ option at £49.99 up front and the balance payable only if drawn. Results go out by email in early July. The ballot for the following year traditionally opens in the week of the race itself.
Charity place
Also called a Golden Bond place. You apply directly to a charity rather than to the marathon, and they choose who runs for them.
Charities typically ask for a minimum fundraising pledge in the region of £2,500 plus a registration fee of roughly £100, though both vary by charity — always check the specific figures before committing. Applications open long before the ballot results land, and popular charities fill early. This is the route most first-time London finishers actually take.
Good for Age
A time-qualified route for UK residents only, with places split evenly between men and women.
Around 6,000 places have been offered in recent editions, allocated fastest-first within each age band — hitting the standard earns you the right to apply, not a guaranteed place. Qualifying times and the qualifying window are reset each year and published in the autumn, so check the official standard for the edition you are targeting rather than relying on last year’s figures.
Championship entry
The fast end of the mass field: a separate start, a capped entry and genuinely demanding qualifying marks.
Capped at 1,200 runners, split 600 men and 600 women, and open only to members of a UK Athletics affiliated club. Recent standards have sat around sub-2:38 for men and sub-3:10 for women over the marathon, with equivalent half marathon marks. Confirm the exact current standard with your club or the organiser before entering.
Clubs and overseas operators
Two routes that most applicants never look at, and where the competition is a fraction of the ballot’s.
UK Athletics affiliated clubs receive a small allocation of places, usually drawn among members who were rejected in the ballot — joining a club before the ballot closes costs very little and quietly gives you a second shot. Runners based outside the UK can also enter through official international tour operators, which bundle the race entry with accommodation.
The route, mile by mile
From three start areas on Blackheath and Greenwich Park to The Mall, 26.2 miles later.
Three separate start areas — one beside Greenwich Park, two on Blackheath common — funnel onto a single course within the first few miles. Downhill, cold, and the point where almost everyone goes off too fast.
The first genuinely famous landmark and the first wall of noise. The road narrows sharply here, which is superb for runners and difficult for spectators — it is one of the two most congested viewing points on the whole course.
The quiet stretch. Fewer landmarks, thinner crowds in places, and the section where a sensible pace starts paying off.
The image everybody knows. Runners cross the bridge just before halfway, into what is comfortably the loudest sustained noise of the day. Straight after the bridge the course turns east, away from the finish, which is a psychological hurdle in itself.
The hardest part of the course, and not because of the terrain. The loop out east feels long, the towers block the horizon, and you can see faster runners heading back the other way while you are still going out. This is where most races are won or lost.
Back along the river with the finish genuinely close. Crowds thicken again through Tower Hill and become continuous along the Embankment, with the London Eye across the water.
Right at Big Ben, along Birdcage Walk past St James’s Park, then the final turn onto The Mall with Buckingham Palace on your left. The last 385 yards are the most photographed stretch of road in British distance running.
Where to watch
Ranked on what you will actually see, not on how famous the backdrop is.
The Mall and Birdcage Walk
The finish itself is ticketed and grandstanded, but Birdcage Walk in the final mile is free, open and every bit as emotional. Get there early — this fills before almost anywhere else.
The Embankment, miles 24–25
Long, straight and wide, so there is far more usable frontage than at the bridge. Runners are close enough to the finish to lift when they hear their name, and you can walk to The Mall in minutes afterwards.
Canary Wharf, miles 18–20
The point on the course where support matters most and where the crowd is thinnest relative to how much it is needed. Excellent transport, plenty of indoor shelter and food, and a realistic chance of standing at the barrier.
Cutty Sark, mile 6
Iconic, atmospheric and extremely tight. Arrive well before the first runners or you will spend the morning three rows back. Best treated as your only stop of the day.
Tower Bridge, mile 12
The most sought-after spot on the course and, for that reason, the hardest to actually see anything from. Crowds build hours ahead and stewarding restricts movement. Go only if you are prepared to commit the whole morning to it.
Rotherhithe, Poplar and Westferry
The organiser’s own suggestions for spectators who want space. Thinner crowds, front-row views and a much better chance of your runner actually spotting you.
Station-by-station routes to every one of these points, plus road closures, river services and accessible viewing areas, are in our London Marathon transport guide. The organiser also publishes an official spectator guide.
Spectating well
Six things that make the difference between a good day and a long one.
Pick one spot and stay
Runners average faster than you can move through marathon-day crowds. Trying to catch your runner twice usually means missing them both times — unless you are crossing the Isle of Dogs loop, where the course doubles back on itself.
Stand on the left
Runners drift left towards the inside of bends and towards named supporters. On a wide straight like the Embankment, the left-hand kerb gives you far more chance of being seen.
Write the name big
Names on vests get shouted all day and it genuinely lifts people. If you are supporting someone specific, a name board beats a charity flag.
Agree the meeting point in advance
Mobile networks buckle around the finish. Fix a specific place and time before the start and do not rely on being able to call.
Expect a two-hour tail
The elite fields pass a given point within minutes of each other. The mass field takes hours. Check the published start waves against your runner’s expected pace before you choose an arrival time.
Watch the Saturday too
From 2027 the weekend format means two full days of closures and two days of racing. If your runner is on the Saturday, none of the usual Sunday assumptions apply.
Records and landmark days
London has held the world record more often than any other marathon course.
Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) ran 1:59:30 to become the first athlete to break two hours in an official marathon. Yomif Kejelcha also finished inside two hours at 1:59:41.
Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) won the women’s race in 2:15:41, a women’s-only world record.
59,830 runners finished, reclaiming the record for the largest marathon in the world.
100,000 people will run across two days — 45,000 on Saturday 24 April and 55,000 on Sunday 25 April. No marathon has ever staged a mass field over a full weekend before.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next London Marathon?
The 2027 TCS London Marathon runs across two days for the first time in its history: Saturday 24 April and Sunday 25 April 2027. The race is normally held on a single Sunday in April.
Why is the 2027 London Marathon on two days?
Demand has outgrown a single day. The 2027 ballot attracted a record 1,338,544 applications, so organisers split the field across a weekend — 45,000 runners on the Saturday and 55,000 on the Sunday, 100,000 in total. Everyone who entered the ballot was automatically entered for both days and told by email which day they were assigned.
What are my realistic chances in the ballot?
Low. With over 1.3 million applications for roughly a fifth of the places, the ballot is a genuine lottery and previous rejections give you no advantage. If you want to run in a specific year, a charity place is the far more dependable route, and joining a UK Athletics affiliated club before the ballot closes gives you a second draw through the club allocation.
Where does the London Marathon start and finish?
It starts from three separate assembly areas — one beside Greenwich Park and two on Blackheath common — and finishes on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace, after 26.2 miles through Greenwich, Rotherhithe, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and the Embankment.
Where is the best place to watch the London Marathon?
The Embankment around miles 24 to 25 gives you the best combination of atmosphere, space and access to the finish. Canary Wharf is the most underrated spot on the course. Tower Bridge and the Cutty Sark are the most famous and by far the most crowded — go only if you are willing to arrive hours early.
How do I get around London on marathon day?
Rail, almost every time. More than 150 roads close on a rolling basis across the course, buses crossing the route are diverted or curtailed, and the river splits the city for anyone on foot. Our London Marathon transport guide covers how to reach the start, each viewing point and the finish.
Plan the rest of the day
Every route to the start, each viewing point and the finish, plus road closures.
Dates, entry news and everything else in the London Marathon calendar.
What else is worth planning a trip around across the London sporting year.