London Marathon 2026 Guide
You don’t need a race number to take part in the London Marathon. Just a loud voice, a carefully plotted route across the city, and a willingness to chase crowds, cheer strangers and claim your post-race carbs.
By Glorious
Whether you’re running, rooting or roaming, from the best places to stand and the state of the crowds to celeb spotting, pre-run prep, sign-making and post-run pints, matcha perks and medal-earned freebies, this is your definitive guide to this year’s 2026 TCS London Marathon.
First things first…
Make a plan before Sunday! Where you’re going, where you’re meeting, how you’re getting there, and who’s standing at which mile, at roughly what time. Assume at least one person misses their runner entirely, because they will. WhatsApp groups are brilliant in theory, patchy in practice, so expect signal to stutter, especially around Tower Bridge, the Isle of Dogs and The Mall. Full timings and road closures are on the official 2026 TCS London Marathon site.
Supporting someone specific?
Download the official TCS London Marathon app. It’s the only sensible way to track your runner across the course. You’ll get live GPS tracking, splits at 10km, halfway and 30km, finish alerts, an interactive course map and a spectator route planner that’s actually useful. You can also send them a “Belief Booster” message mid-race, which is cheesy, but cute.
For moving between spectator points, the Tube is your friend on most of the route. The DLR is particularly useful if you want to catch your runner at Canary Wharf and again at the finish. Beyond that, Citymapper for real-time reroutes, and a Lime Bike for those awkward gaps the Tube can’t cover. Do not drive. Obviously.
Who else are you spotting?
Yes, your mate Emma. Of course, your mate Emma. But also, keep an eye out for the odd celeb. Cynthia Erivo will be chasing a 3:15 PB for The King’s Trust and Shameless Fund. James Norton is running his first, for BreakthroughT1D. Snowboarder Aimee Fuller is back after 2024’s 3:48. Alexandra Burke is chasing a sub-4 for Parkinson’s UK. Joe Wicks will be running alongside Daddy Pig, the cartoon, for the National Deaf Children’s Society. And Bryony Gordon will be dashing down The Mall in her underwear again, for the Bowelbabe Fund
SUPPORT
If You’re West: New Balance London Run House
If you’re heading towards the finish, or just want somewhere warm and useful within walking distance of The Mall, the New Balance London Run House is the one. Open across the weekend at Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA, right on the marathon route.
Join the team on Friday 24 April (14:00–17:00) for a Pre-Race Body Regulation Session, followed by a Runner Beans arts and crafts workshop in the evening (18:00–19:00).
Saturday 25 April (10:00–18:00), you’ll find massages, hair styling and sign-making running all day. Toni-Ann Murphy is leading a LES Run collage workshop at 4pm, followed by a Women’s Relaxation Lounge with LES Run and PASSA (18:00–22:00). And for those keen to get a quick 5k in, there’s a relaxed Ellipse Sunset Run with The Greenstreet Collective at 7:30pm.
Sunday 26 April (09:00–17:00) kicks off with a Spectator Party of cheer packs and sign-making (09:00–13:00), followed by a Finisher Party with medal engraving and finisher posters (13:00–17:00). Pillar is running post-marathon Stretch & Mobility sessions (13:00–14:00 and 16:00–17:00) and a post-marathon Pilates session (14:30–15:30).
Across the weekend you’ll also find a bar and lounge, compression boots and massage guns for recovery, test treadmill stations, a portrait exhibition by Vivek Vadoliya, t-shirt heat-press printing, BSL education and race-day nails and hair at the Run House.
New Balance will also be at Cheer Zones on miles 8, 16 and 25 with their run crew partners. Spaces are limited so you MUST RSVP through the New Balance site.
If You’re East: the HOKA HUB
Find yourself East this weekend? Head to the HOKA HUB at 4 Chance Street, E1 6JT. Open Friday 24 April through to Sunday, with a whole range of things going on. An Allpress Espresso bar, exclusive HOKA merch, and a Cielo X1 3.0 try-on experience that syncs light and music to your BPM while you’re on a treadmill. Which is, frankly, insane. (Sign up on the day, first come, first served.) There’s also sweat testing for runners chasing a PB, community runs and shakeouts, female-only runs, kit customisation workshops, and a live Trackstaa podcast recording.
For finishers, HOKA is running a Fly & Ride service, offering free black cab rides home for the six hours after the race when you show your medal. They’ll also be handing out finish-line foils to keep you warm before you get there. And they’ve co-branded a set of Lime Bikes across the city for the weekend, if you need to get between points in a hurry. More info here.
So you ran it. Phew!
Grab your medal and run (or walk, limp, hobble) to these fabulous places giving you something for nothing.
Eat:
- San Sebastián cheesecake at La Maritxu, Kingly Court (first 100 medals on race day)
- Steak at Gaucho (race day to 29 April, must dine with at least one friend)
- Pasta at Emilia’s Crafted Pasta (tokens handed out at the finish)
- Kebab at Le Bab, Covent Garden (race day)
- Pancakes at Polo Bar, Liverpool Street (day or night)
- Salad bowl at Atis (race day and the day after)
- Sunday roast at Kitty Hawk, Trafalgar Square (race day)
- Indian street food at Cinnamon Bazaar or Cinnamon Kitchen (race day)
- Burrito at Chipotle (race day and Monday)
- Breakfast at Fremantle, Docklands
- Dessert trolley at Ham Yard Hotel, Soho (book ahead)
Drink:
- Matcha at Jenki
- Recovery smoothie at Lanes of London, Hyde Park
- Pint of Camden Hells at Castle pubs. The Gipsy Moth (Greenwich), The Sun Inn (Barnes), The White Horse (Parsons Green), The Engineer (Primrose Hill)
- Pint at Pretty Decent Beer Co., Forest Gate, Victoria Park or Walthamstow
- Drink at Vinegar Yard, London Bridge
- Sparkling wine at Great Northern Hotel by King’s Cross (first 45 only)
Relax:
- Magnesium massage balm and shower jelly at Lush Oxford Street, Covent Garden, Victoria and Paddington
- A Thames cruise with City Cruises (race day and Monday, code marathonfree. Supporters use marathon30 for 30% off)
Commemorate:
- Free socks at Happy Socks, Covent Garden (while stocks last)
- Medal engraving at Peloton Studios, Covent Garden (27th+ 28th April) plus a free Friday shakeout 5k and a Sunday sign-making session with coffee
Whatever you’re doing on Sunday
Run it. Watch it. Cheer it. Cry a bit on the Embankment. And tell us about it, @glorioussport.
See ya somewhere near Southwark. Happy marathonning!!! xxx
Need an extra push to get you on that pavement?!
Read this piece about the power of the pack at The London Marathon!
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