The marathon in the UK capital is one of the races in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series and serves as a qualifying event for the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championships

The marker on the map indicates the city where the race takes place and does not show the exact start or finish location

The London Marathon is an annual long-distance running event held in London, United Kingdom. It is officially known as the TCS London Marathon. Approximately 50,000 athletes participate in the marathon race, with 48,818 runners completing the marathon in 2023.

Since its inaugural edition in 1981, the London Marathon has seen over one million runners successfully cross the finish line.

The London Marathon is of the founding members of AIMS. In 2005, it became part of the Abbott World Marathon Major, which is a series that includes six largest and most renowned marathons in the world: the Tokyo Marathon (東京マラソン), the Boston Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the BMW Berlin-Marathon, the TCS New York City Marathon and the London Marathon. Finishers of six or five of these marathons can find their names in the Hall of Fame on the series website.

In 2023, Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a new course record for the London Marathon with a time of 2:01:25.

The London Marathon 2024 is a qualifying event for the AbbottWMM Wanda Age Group World Championship.

A record number of applicants, 578,374 in total, registered for a ballot place in the London Marathon 2024.

More about London and its attractions you may find here.

London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2023

The course of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 starts in the eastern hemisphere and finishes in the western hemisphere, covering various streets of London on both sides of the Thames. The route includes a crossing of the Thames via Tower Bridge.

Mile signs are posted at every mile of the route, and markers are positioned at each 5km split. A broken blue line on the road indicates the shortest route.

Course of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 with elevation profile

Course map animation, London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2023

The start of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 takes place at one of the three Start Lines — Blue, Green, or Red, located in Greenwich Park near Blackheath in southeast London.

The start area of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2023

The finish line of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 is located on The Mall, a road that connects Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

The finish area of the London Marathon (Virgin Money London Marathon) 2019

You can find the official course map of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 here.

The participants of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 are divided into starting blocks based on their anticipated finish time, as indicated during registration. You may choose to start from a slower block without notifying the race officials.

The time limit for completing the marathon is 8 hours from the moment the final participant crosses the start line, which is scheduled for 11:30.

During the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024, pacemakers are available to help runners maintain a specific pace and finish within a designated time. These pacemakers can be identified by the flags they carry, which display the corresponding finish time. Target finish times for the marathon are as follows: 3:00 to 4:15 hours in five-minute intervals, 4:20 to 4:40 hours in 10-minute intervals, and 4:45 to 7:30 hours in 15-minute intervals.

There are 17 water and nutrition stations located along the marathon route, providing runners with Buxton water, Lucozade Sport sports drink, and Lucozade energy gel. Finishers receive drinks and snacks.

Prior to the race start, you can securely store your personal belongings in the deposit vans near the starting point in Greenwich Park. It is important to pack your items in an event-issued deposit bag and ensure that the bag is marked with the sticker displaying your race number. Both the bag and sticker are included in your Race Pack, along with your bib number. The deposited bags are transported to the finishing area, where you can retrieve your bag from the designated van.

The entry fee for the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 is €170 (£146) for international runners and €82 (£69.99) for UK residents.

The entry limit for the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024, as well as for any marathon in the Abbott World Marathon Majors, is significantly lower than the number of applications received. Some runners are eligible for a guaranteed entry, while others must apply for a non-guaranteed entry through a lottery system.

You can apply online for a London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 entry through the non-guaranteed entry ballot. The selection of marathon runners is determined through a random drawing after the registration of non-guaranteed applicants.

The deadline for lottery applications is from 22 April until 21:00 (London time, UTC+01:00) on 28 April 2023.

You pay nothing to enter the lottery. Only successful applicants pay the marathon entry fee.

Only one application per person is accepted.

Lottery applicants get notified via email of their entry status on 6 July 2023.

The entry is open exclusively to UK residents. Fast runners have the opportunity to secure a guaranteed personal race entry for the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024 by submitting a previous race result that meets the qualifying time.

Race entry is included as part of the travel arrangements offered by an official tour operator for the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024. More info is here.

A guaranteed race entry is available through the official charity partners of the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024, with a minimum donation of €2,204 (£1,900). More info is here.

You have the option to defer your entry to the 2025 event. Please note that the entry fee for 2024 is non-refundable, but it guarantees you a spot in the next marathon. More info is here.

Your Marathon Race Entry includes:

• Bib number with built-in timing device
• Safety pins for attaching your bib number
• Free use of London public transport (Docklands Light Railway, London Underground) on 21 April 2024 until 18:30; your bib number serves as a ticket
• Food and beverage stations, toilets along the course, and after the race
• Bag deposit and transfer service from the start to the finish
• Pacemaker service
• Music and performance groups along the course
• Athlete tracking through the mobile app
• Finisher medal
• Finisher T-Shirt
• Foil blanket after the finish
• Changing facilities
• Online race results
• Digital race diploma indicating your finish time
• Medical aid if needed

You can collect your Race Pack, including your bib number, at the TCS London Marathon Running Show 2024, which is held at the ExCeL, East London convention center (1 Western Gateway, Royal Victoria Dock, London, E16 1XL).
Pick-up desk schedule:
17—19 April 2024 (Wednesday — Friday) from 10:00 to 20:00,
20 April 2024 (Saturday) from 8:30 to 17:30.

Virgin Money London Marathon Running Show 2019

To receive your Race Pack, you must present a photo ID and your confirmation letter with a QR code. This can be either printed or shown on a screen.

If you are unable to collect your Race Pack in person, you can authorize another individual to do so on your behalf. The person collecting the Race Pack must present their own photo ID, a copy of your photo ID, your confirmation letter, and your signed letter of authorization.

Please note that a proxy can only collect one Race Pack in addition to their own.

No health certificate is required to participate in the London Marathon (TCS London Marathon) 2024.

* Source: www.tcslondonmarathon.com

You can check your result and view the results of your friends and companions here.

* The race information is from publicly available sources and the official website of the event. Always check the official website for the most up-to-date information. If you see any mistake, please write to admin@letsportpeople.com.

Prices are for round trip flights 19 April 2024 — 22 April 2024. Price information is automatically renewed. You may check flight prices for other dates here.

You may use public transport, taxi, or preordered transfer from London Heathrow (LHR) airport, preordered transfer from London City (LCY) airport, preordered transfer from London Luton (LTN) airport, preordered transfer from London Gatwick (LGW) airport, preordered transfer from London Stansted (STN) airport to get to London or back.

If over the past 6 years your flight within European Union, Turkey or to these countries was delayed for more than 3 hours or cancelled, if you missed a connection flight because of delay, if you were denied boarding because of overbooking you are eligible for compensation of 125—600 € according to European Commission Regulation 261/2004 and Turkish Regulation On Air Passenger Rights. You may check your case for free here, it takes 2 minutes. No fee is charged until the compensation is paid.

Race participants are fully responsible for their life, health and any consequence that may result from running a distance. Keep in mind that ordinary health insurance does not cover participation in sport events. Special sport insurance is preferable.

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M — Marathon, 42.195 km
H — Half Marathon, 21.097 km

The headline image is taken from pixabay.com in accordance with Pixabay License. The image may not illustrate any part of the event course.

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