The London Marathon 2022 will be held on Sunday, October 2 this year and is set to be the last marathon to be held in October as the event will return to its regular format next year.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the race was postponed from April until October to maximise the chances of a mass participation event.
Crowds are expected in the city this weekend to watch the marathon, which will also be televised for those who wish to watch at home.
However, if you wish to watch the race in person this year, you could struggle to reach the start line due to the train strikes that are taking place in London this weekend.
Here's everything you need to know how the tube strikes will affect the London Marathon this weekend:
What time will the London Marathon start this year?
The mass participation event will see the first runners start off at around 9.40am, with the last runners scheduled to begin at 11am.
The elite wheelchair races will begin at 8.50am, with the women’s elite race scheduled to begin at 9am, and the men’s elite race just before the mass start at 9.40am.
What is the best way to get to the London Marathon start line?
There are three different start areas for the London Marathon, which include:
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The red start, which begins in southern Greenwich Park on Charlton Way
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The green start, which is in St John's Park
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The blue start, which is on Shooter's Hill Road
The Blue start is a 10-minute walk from Blackheath station, whereas the Green start is 10 to 15 minutes from Maze Hill, and the Red start is 10 to 15 minutes from Maze Hill or Greenwich.
The stations will have signposts for where to go to reach the start point.
How will the train strikes affect the London Marathon?
In a statement on September 27, Govia Thameslink Railway announces that services at key London rail companies Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink will start much later on Sunday, the day of the race, and will be "extremely busy".
The delays follow a full day of planned strike action on the Saturday, October 1, with passengers warned that services will be crowded and to travel "only if absolutely necessary" because of Network Rail strikes.
The railway franchise added that only those travelling a short distance on Sunday will reach the start line on time.
Saturday, October 1
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There will be no services running on many lines south of London, across the city, or on the route between Ely and King’s Lynn
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Pre-planned engineering work will stop services running between Brighton and Three Bridges, and between Balham and West Croydon via Crystal Palace
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Around 18% of trains across Southern Great Northern, and Thameslink will run with heavy crowds expected, particularly on first and last trains
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Train services will not start until 7.30am and will finish between 4.30pm and 6.30pm
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Gatwick Express will not operate, although Gatwick Airport will have a limited Southern and Thameslink service of eight trains an hour in each direction
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Southeastern and Thameslink services will not run in the Greenwich area where the marathon is due to start the following day.
Sunday, October 2
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Services will start later on Sunday at around 7.30am
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Morning trains are likely to be busy as many rush to the capital to see or take part in the marathon
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Many trains will not make it into central London before 9am. Only those travelling a short distance to the London Marathon will reach the 9.30am start line in time.
Will the Tube be running on Sunday?
The majority of Transport for London (TfL) services are not affected by the industrial action taking place this weekend, however, TfL has advised customers to plan ahead, check before they travel and leave more time for their journeys as the strikes will impact different transport services on different days.
Those travelling to the London Marathon can plan journeys in advance using TfL's real-time travel tools, including status updates, Journey Planner and TfL Go.
The Piccadilly line will have no service between Acton Town and Heathrow Airport on Saturday and Sunday for work on the Piccadilly line upgrade that was planned before the strike action was announced.
Customers are advised to use the Elizabeth line where possible, rail replacement buses (running from both Acton Town and Hammersmith) or coaches to and from Heathrow.
As the Elizabeth line will also be impacted by Network Rail staff being on strike on Saturday, there will be no rail services to the airport after around 5.10pm until Elizabeth line services from Paddington resume on Sunday morning at around 8am.
On the day of the marathon, services will start slightly later on the London Overground, Bakerloo and District lines with a good service expected by late morning.
Elizabeth line services will start on Sunday at around 6.30am in the east and 8am in the west, however the Elizabeth line from Paddington to Abbey Wood will not be available as it currently does not run on Sundays.
