The annual London Marathon is back, with the 26-mile race taking place on Sunday, April 23, and we've got all the information you need to stream the race live.
UK: iPlayer
US: FloTrack
VPN: ExpressVPN
It's only been six months since the last London Marathon, and that's because for three years it was shifted from its usual April window to October, due to COVID. It's back to April now though.
Tens of thousands of athletes are expected to follow the London trail, which starts in the village of Blackheath in south-east London, tracks its way east to Woolwich then all the way back west to Bermondsey, crosses the river for a tour of the Isle of Dogs, then travels west all the way through central London to finish at St James's Park.
The London Marathon is also a fund-raising event, as millions are made each year for various charities by the sponsored runners.
Keen to tune in to watch the London Marathon? Here's how to do it.
How to watch the London Marathon in the UK
In the UK, the BBC is airing coverage of the London Marathon. That means you can watch it using your TV, or on iPlayer if you'd rather stream it online, as the BBC's streaming service lets you air live TV. If you pay your license fee, you can therefore watch it for free. Here's the schedule of coverage:
- 8:30 am - 2:15 pm: BBC One
- 2:15 pm - 3 pm: BBC Two
- 1 pm - 6 pm: BBC Online & iPlayer
There will also be highlights playing on BBC Two from 6 pm.
How to watch the London Marathon in the US
In the US, FloTrack holds the streaming rights to the London Marathon — this athletics-centric streaming service costs $29.99 per month, or $12.49 per month if you sign up for a whole year's subscription (that totals $149.99 for a year).
You can use FloTrack to stream the race beginning 4 am ET/1 am PT — sorry, but it starts in the morning UK time — and you can sign up to FloTrack here.
How to watch the London Marathon everywhere else
If you're a UK license fee payer who's away from your normal TV setup but still wants to watch the London Marathon, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your major sporting events like the London Marathon or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.
What you need to know about the London Marathon
When does the London Marathon begin?
We've shared the streaming start times above, but the marathon itself won't start then. In fact, the marathon has a staggered start time, so waves of runners will set off at intervals.
The first wave, and the "official" start time for the marathon, begins at 9:30 am local time, which converts to 4:30 am ET/1:30 am PT. Subsequent waves will begin over the following two hours, to ensure all the racers aren't bunched up.
Earlier waves consist of "Elite" and wheelchair participants, the former of which are the ones expected to finish the route quickest.
The current course records are 1:26:27 for wheelchair and 2:02:37 for running, so if you're in London, you've got about this long to get from the start line in Blackheath to St James' Park. Given how busy public transport is expected to be on the day, the athletes might beat you there!
What's the London Marathon route?
The London Marathon begins in Blackheath, SE London, and finishes 26 miles later on The Mile in Central London, and you can find the full map below:
Some of the major areas that marathon will travel through include:
- Greenwich
- Wolwich
- Deptford
- Rotherhithe
- Bermondsey
- Wapping
- Shadwell
- Limehouse
- Canary Wharf
- Isle of Dogs
- Bank
- Central London
- Charing Cross
The runners will pass Greenwich Naval College, Tower Bridge, The Shard, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, amongst many other landmarks.
The route has some light hills but the only major include is a stark downhill in the second mile as the runners arrive in Woolwich.
