Picture this: there you are, powering across Tower Bridge, surrounded by cheering crowds, with thousands of other runners plodding alongside you. Suddenly, you spot a familiar face out of the corner of your eye. It’s Cynthia Erivo – and she’s overtaking you.
If you’re one of the more than 50,000 courageous souls gearing up to race the London Marathon this weekend, this could actually be about to happen to you. And Elphaba the green witch isn’t the only celeb running the 26.2 miles across our great city, either.
From stars of stage and screen to sports icons and social media personalities, the list of famous faces hoping to cross the finish line in 2026 is well and truly stacked. Whether you’re currently getting in your last few taper runs or, alternatively, are planning to cheer on friends or family along the barriers, here are all the VIPs taking on the challenge on Sunday.
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Which celebrities are running the 2026 London Marathon?
Here are all the slebs confirmed to be running on Sunday, with – where applicable – the charity they’re running for.
- Aaron Ramsey – Former Arsenal footballer
- Adrian Sanderson – MAFS star running for Marie Curie
- Aimee Fuller – Former Winter Olympian snowboarder and TV presenter
- AJ Pritchard – Dancer and TV personality running for Marie Curie
- Alexandra Burke – Singer running for Parkinson UK
- Amy Jackson Westwick – Model and actor running for Alder Hey Children’s Charity
- Charlie Turnbull – Ipswich Town first team coach
- Chris Foggin – TV actor and director
- Chris Newton – Former professional cyclist
- Christopher Harper – Actor running for NSPCC
- Curtis Pritchard – Dancer and TV personality running for Marie Curie
- Cynthia Erivo – Actor
- Dame Kelly Holmes – former British middle-distance athlete and television personality
- Dame Laura Kenny – Former professional track and road cyclist
- Dan Hudson – A Gay and NonGay podcast host running for Marie Curie
- Dejon Noel-Williams – Former footballer and Love Island star running for Mind
- Evie Pickerill – CBBC Presenter
- Fern Brady – Comedian and author running for Autistica
- Gary Rowett – Football manager
- George Rainsford – TV actor running for Huntington’s Disease Association
- Geraint Thomas – Welsh former professional racing cyclist
- Harry Clark – Winner of the Traitors season two running for The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
- Harry Judd – McFly drummer
- Helen Thorn – Comedian running for Women’s Aid
- Jack O’Connell – Actor running for Alzheimer’s Research UK
- James Norton – Actor running for Breakthrough T1D
- Jenni Falconer – Radio and podcast host running for Marie Curie
- Jody Morris – Former England and Chelsea footballer running for Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity
- Joe Wicks – Fitness coach running alongside Daddy Pig
- John Robins – BBC radio presenter, podcast host and comedian running for Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse
- Julian Claud Caillon – Strictly Come Dancing professional
- Kate Rowe-Ham – Fitness and health influencer running for PCD support UK
- Kitty Scott Claus – Drag performer
- Laura Doddington – Actor
- Lauren Wood – Love Islander 2025 running for Dogs Trust
- Lee Grant – Ex Man Utd and Derby goalkeeper
- Liam MacDevitt – TV presenter and former footballer running for Cancer Research UK/Bobby Moore Fund
- Lucas Aurelio – Actor running for Marie Curie
- Matthew Haywood – BBC’s Survivor winner running for Marie Curie
- Ore Oduba – TV personality, presenter and actor running for Black Girls Hike and Smartphone Free Childhood
- Reece Bibby – Social Media influencer and former band member of New Hope Club running for Teenage Cancer Trust
- Rob Deering – Comedian and podcast host running for Parkinson’s UK
- Ruby-May Martinwood – Actress running for Juvenile Arthritis Research
- Samantha Spiro – Actor running for Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Sean Fletcher – TV presenter running for Young Minds
- Sebastian Vettel – Four-time Formula One world champion running for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust
- Shane McGuigan – Boxing trainer running for Young Lives vs Cancer
- Sian Brooke – Actress running for MACS Belfast
- Sir Alastair Cook – Former England cricket captain running for Ruth Strauss Foundation
- Sir Anthony (AP) McCoy – Twenty‑time champion jockey and Grand National winner running for the Matt Hampson Foundation
- Sir Ben Ainslie – Four-time Olympic gold medallist running for the 1851 Trust
- Tilly Ramsay – TV presenter and chef running for Feeding Britain
- Tim Minchin – Writer, actor, comedian, composer running for National Autistic Society
- Tony Adams – Former England and Arsenal footballer running for Forward Trust
- Tyler Smith – Traitors Season 3 star running for Crohn’s & Colitis UK
The best London Marathon viewing locations
Now that we’ve picked out the biggest names running this year’s race, we should probably tell all you spectators the best places to try and spot them.
Well, you can of course head to the starting gates, which will be located between Greenwich and Blackheath, though we should warn you that the area will be absolutely heaving. Catch a glimpse of Tower Bridge at mile 12 (great for snapping some stunning piccies of the runners crossing the London landmark), or head to Mudchute Farm for mile 17 of the race. Watch the runners emerge from the Blackfriars underpass at Mile 24, or egg on competitors at the final stretch towards Buckingham Palace.
Check out Time Out’s full guide to the best viewing spots along the route map.
If you’re looking for a quieter spot along the route to really do some people (cough celeb cough) watching, the London Marathon organisers recommend the following areas:
- Rotherhithe Peninsula – miles 9-11
- The Highway – miles 14/22
- Westferry – mile 15
- Isle of Dogs – mile 16
- Poplar – mile 20
- Victoria Embankment – mile 25
Did you see that this east London walk uncovers some of the capital’s weirdest secrets – with burial grounds, occultists and the ‘Mole House’?
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