The 2026 London Marathon will see a whopping 59,000 people take to the streets of the capital this coming Sunday, April 26. London’s version of the massive 26.2-mile race is one of the biggest in the world, alongside the likes of the New York, Berlin, Sydney and Tokyo marathons.
To avoid body-to-body congestion at the start of the race, London Marathon participants start the race in waves. Over a two-hour period on Sunday morning, runners will all get on their way, starting at Blackheath and passing through the Isle of Dogs, Wapping, the City and Westminster.
Whether you’re taking part in the race or there to support a sporty mate, here’s what you need to know about the timings for this year’s London Marathon.
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How many waves are there at the start of the London Marathon?
There are dozens of waves, divided between different colours. In total, there are 55 waves, split across yellow, red, blue, green and pink areas.
Participants will have been emailed their start wave three weeks before marathon day.
What are the wave start times?
Start times are allocated based on predicted finish times. While you can join a later wave, you cannot budge up to one before you. The start waves for non-elite runners are between 9.30am and 11.30am.
Here’s the schedule:
- 8.50am: Men’s and women’s elite wheelchair races
- 9.05am: Elite women’s race
- 9.35am: Elite men and first mass participation wave
- 9.35am-11.30am: regular mass participation waves
Where does the London Marathon start and finish?
The event begins up high on Blackheath and finishes – in iconic fashion, we should add – on The Mall.
How to track the runners
To track a runner, you’ll need the TCS London Marathon app.
What’s the weather forecast looking like?
In short, pretty good! It’ll be dry and not too breezy, though, with highs of 17C, it may be a tad on the warm side in the afternoon. Find the full forecast here.
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