London Marathon 2026 schedule, prize money, elite fields and how to watch on TV

The TCS London Marathon 2026 is today as up to 59,000 runners will take to the streets of the capital in a bid to conquer 26.2 miles.

Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa, last year’s champions in the elite men’s and women’s fields, return to defend their titles.

Huge prize money is on offer for the winners, while bonuses are available for breaking tough barriers and even world records.

There is talk of a two-day London Marathon in 2027, too, with the running boom showing no signs of stopping.

Here’s everything you need to know about the London Marathon 2026:

When is the London Marathon 2026?

The 2026 London Marathon is on Sunday, 26 April. The race starts in Blackheath and Greenwich, with the finish near Buckingham Palace and Horse Guards Road, opposite St James’s Park.

London Marathon start times

All times BST

08:50am Men’s and women’s elite wheelchair races

09:05am Elite women’s race at 9:05am.

09:35am Elite men and first mass participation wave (championship wave)

Regular additional waves through to 11:30am.

How to watch the London Marathon 2026

You can follow the elite races and mass participation race with Independent Sport and our live blog. While the race will be on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Coverage starts at 8:30am on BBC One. But live coverage will move to BBC Two at 2pm. While a second live stream will afford family and friends to spot runners at Tower Bridge from 10:30am and the Finish Line from 12:30pm on BBC iPlayer. Highlights with Gabby Logan will air on BBC Two at 6:00pm.

London Marathon 2026 Elite fields

Women's Field

• Tigst Assefa 2:11:53

• Joyciline Jepkosgei 2:14:00

• Hellen Obiri 2:17:41
• Degitu Azimeraw 2:17:58
• Magdalena Shauri 2:18:02
• Eunice Chebichii Chumba 2:20:02
• Catherine Reline Amanang’ole 2:20:34
• Balemelay Shumet 2:21:59

• Rose Harvey 2:23:21

• Florencia Borelli 2:24:18
• Eilish McColgan 2:24:25
• Jessica Warner-Judd 2:24:45
• Fadouwa Ledhem 2:25:50
• Marta Galimany 2:26:14
• Lucy Reid 2:26:35
• Julia Paternain 2:27:09
• Louise Small 2:27:48

• Verity Hopkins 2:31:19

Men's Field

• Sabastian Sawe 2:02:05
• Jacob Kiplimo 2:02:23
• Deresa Geleta 2:02:38
• Amos Kipruto 2:03:13
• Tamirat Tola 2:03:39
• Amanal Petros 2:04:03
• Geoffrey Kamworor 2:04:23
• Joshua Cheptegei2:04:52
• Shunya Kikuchi 2:06:06

• Mahamed Mahamed 2:07:05
• Philip Sesemann 2:07:10
• Hassan Chahdi 2:07:30
• Adam Lipschitz 2:08:54
• Patrick Dever 2:08:58
• Peter Lynch 2:09:36
• Tim Vincent 2:09:40

• Weynay Ghebresilasie 2:09:50
• Tewelde Menges 2:09:58

• Liam Boudin 2:10:28
• Jake Smith 2:11:00

• Jack Rowe 2:12:31
• Andrew Fyfe 2:13:20
• Alex Milne 2:14:03
• Peter Le Grice 2:14:45
• Sean Hogan 2:14:51

• Christopher Thomas 2:14:55
• Chris Perry 2:14:57
• David Bishop 2:15:16
• Charlie Sandison 2:15:38
• William Mycroft 2:15:54
• Yomif Kejelcha Debut
• Hagos Gebrhiwet Debut
• Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi Debut
• Alfie Manthorpe Debut

What is the prize money?

Men’s and women’s elite races

1st place - $55,000

2nd place - $30,000

3rd place - $22,500

4th place - $15,000

5th place - $10,000

6th place - $7,500

7th place - $5,000

8th place - $4,000

9th place - $3,000

10th place - $2,000

11th place - $1,500

12th place - $1,000

Additional bonuses

Elite men

2:02:00 - $150,000

2:03:00 - £100,000

2:03:30 - $75,000

2:04:00 - $50,000

Elite women

2:15:00 - $150,000

2:15:30 - £100,000

2:16:00 - $75,000

2:17:00 - $50,000

Elite men

• First and men’s course record (2:01:25) - $25,000 
• First and men’s world record (2:00:35) - $125,000

Elite women

• First and women’s course record (2:15:50) - $25,000 
• First and women’s world record (2:15:50) - $125,000

Elite men’s wheelchair

• First and men’s course record (1:23:44) $5,000

Elite women’s wheelchair

• First and women’s course record (1:34:18) $5,000

How can I run London Marathon 2027?

The ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon opens on Friday, 24 April 2026, the race itself takes place on Sunday 25 April 2027.

The ballot opens from 09:00 (BST) on Friday 24 April until 16:00 on Friday, 1 May. It is completely random who wins a place in next year’s race, with the results announced in early July.

Next year’s race could be a one-off two-day London Marathon, too, with a second London Marathon on Saturday, 24 April 2027, though permission from the authorities must be granted first.

All ballot entrants will be automatically entered into the ballot for both the Saturday and Sunday events (though they would only be able to take part in one). The idea would be for more runners to secure a place for the 2027 TCS London Marathon than is currently possible.

Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, said: “The TCS London Marathon is one of the most iconic and inclusive sporting events in the world and anyone can be part of it. Everyday heroes can stand shoulder to shoulder on the same Start Line as the fastest marathon runners on the planet, cheered on by hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the streets of London. It is a day like no other when humanity comes together with community, unity and purpose. Entering the 2027 TCS London Marathon ballot could be the first step towards becoming part of something truly life changing.”

You can enter the ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon at tcslondonmarathon.com