It’s been quite the fortnight for the street cleaners near Buckingham Palace. Less than two weeks after thousands descended on The Mall to pay their respects to the late Her Majesty The Queen, the throngs of flag-waving families are set to return - though this time, armed with megaphones instead of marmalade.
More than 40,000 runners are set to descend on the capital for the London Marathon this weekend in what’s become the largest annual fundraising event on the planet. Over £60 million is raised for good causes every year.
The iconic event is now celebrating its 42nd year and it’s been quite the 12 months since the last one: months of strike chaos. The Euros. The war in Ukraine - all of which is set to be reflected on Sunday, with Ukrainian refugees among the runners, participants being warned to travel into London tonight to avoid the travel disruption, and England football stars Leah Williamson, Ellen White and Jill Scott set to kick off the race as its official starters.
The Lionesses won’t be the only fresh faces to look out for. Four-time winner Eliud Kipchoge, 37, will not be running this year and now four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah, 39, has had to pull out due to a last-minute hip injury - so those top spots in the elite race are very much up for grabs.
So which names should we be cheering for and how on earth are we supposed to get there with all the strikes? From the hottest cheer spots to the fun new feature at this year’s finish line, here’s your guide to a marathon like no other.
When is it?
This year’s race takes place on Sunday (October 2), with the wheelchairs setting off at 8.50am, followed by the elite women, elite men and the mass start at 9.40am.
All runners are expected to cross the start line by 11am and you can track them on the official 2022 TCS London Marathon App, which lets participants select up to three spectators to see their live location. According to Strava, the average completion time is four hours and 22 minutes, so make sure you’re on The Mall between 2pm and 3pm to see the bulk of runners come through. See the graph below to see all of the marathons uploaded to Strava so far in 2022, organised by finish time (including world record holder Eliud Kipchoge’s new record of 2:01:09).
How to get there
Whisper it, but you could say the runners have the easy part on Sunday. This year, the pressure on family and friends to be in all the right places is set to be even more challenging than usual: not only will there be multiple road closures and bus diversions near the race route, but trains will be disrupted too, thanks to the knock-on effects of Saturday’s national rail strikes.
If the 24-hour walkouts go ahead as planned, almost 90 per cent of the country’s train network will grind to a halt, including the London Overground, so those who don’t have a car are being advised to travel into London on Friday instead of Saturday to avoid the strike disruption (helpfully, the 24-hour Oxford Tube coach service will still be running on Saturday and is free for runners if you’re coming from Oxford).
On race day itself, Greater Anglia, which runs trains into Liverpool Street, says there’ll be no services before 7.30am and the first trains that do run will still be affected by the strike disruption, so take particular care if you’re travelling in from Hertfordshire and other counties north and east of London.
Transport bosses say many trains won’t arrive into central London much earlier than 9am on Sunday, so only those travelling a short distance will be able to reach the start line on time. Supporters from outside London: it could therefore be worth aiming to see your runner on the second half of the race route to guarantee you see them.
For those coming from within London, the Tube and DLR are due to be operating but likely to be extremely busy on race day, so travel early, plan ahead - and consider walking from a Tube stop a little further from the course. The forecast is currently showing sunshine and a comfortable 18 degrees.
Road closures
Whether you’re watching or not, take note of the road closures, which will be taking place across the capital in the days before and after Sunday’s event.
Key closure areas include roads around St James Park, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Rotherhithe, Westcombe Park, Wapping and the Isle of Dogs.
The children’s TCS Mini Marathon will be taking place on Saturday, 24 hours before Sunday’s main race, with road closures affecting Blackfriars Underpass, White Lion Hill, Victoria Embankment, Great Scotland Yard, Whitehall, Westminster Bridge and Great George Street, among others. Check the full list of road closures here.
Where to watch
If you’ve not supported before, have a listen to the marathon episode of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s podcast Feel Better, Live More, where he sits down with London Marathon boss Hugh Brasher to learn about the origins of the event, tips and what makes the event so special.
For the day itself, download the official app and familiarise yourself with the route. Though the race starts at Blackheath, it’s not advised to accompany participants to the start as the assembly areas are for runners only. There’ll be supporters all along the route, so pick your spots carefully, and don’t plan to move much as getting around will be slow.
The starting point in Greenwich and the finish line around St James’s Park are always popular if want a good atmosphere, but ask your runner if there are any spots they think they’ll need a boost. Strava says mile four tends to be the slowest average mile, so it could be worth heading there for moral support. Tower Hill is common viewing spot and easy to get to: runners come past there twice so you’ll get to see them at miles 13 and 22.5 without having to get back on the Tube.
Other hotspots this year include Butcher Row in Limehouse at mile 21, which will be transformed into an area called Rainbow Row to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and promote inclusivity. Read our full list of pubs, bars and restaurants along the route here.
At the end, a new “digital finish line” will feature a large LED screen showing messages of support as runners cross the final timing mat, so head to St James’ Park if you’re keen to see your message of encouragement beamed across The Mall. Just use the new Belief Booster function on the official app to write your message.
How to watch on TV and live stream
The elite races and the iconic mass participation event will be broadcast live on the BBC this Sunday with coverage starting at 08:30 until 09:25 on BBC Two before switching to BBC One at 09:25 until 14:35.
There will be a live stream is available on the iPlayer.
Which celebrities and professionals are running?
No Mo. No Kipchoge. No women’s world record holder Brigid Kosgei, either, due to a hamstring problem. An unfortunate wave of injuries might have stripped much of the star quality from this year’s elite race (which starts at 9am and is likely to be finishing up by 11 or 12), but in many ways that makes it all the more exciting.
So which big names should we be looking out for around Sunday’s course? Insiders say last year’s winner, Ethiopian Sisay Lemma, and compatriot Kenenisa Bekele (the second-fastest marathon runner of all time), are among the favourites for the men’s title, while defending champion Joyciline Jepkosgei istop of bookies’ favourites for the women’s. The 28-year-old Kenyan finished the 2021 race in two hours and 17 minutes - just a couple of minutes off the women’s record of two hours 15 minutes set by Paula Radcliffe (the men’s record is two hours 2 minutes).
And there are plenty of famous faces to look out for in the amateur race, too. Williamson, White and Scott will be the official race starters in Blackheath (don’t bother heading there if you’re a supporter, this is for runners only) and other VIPs to look out for include former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, radio presenter Chris Evans, and double Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell.
Who are the stars of the amateur race?
More than 40,000 runners will be taking on Sunday’s race, from youngest participant Alex Horsley from Bournemouth, who’ll be celebrating his 18th birthday on race day, to oldest runner Koichi Kitabatake, 89, from Japan - one of an impressive 25 over-80s taking part in this year’s event.
Charity-wise, Wiggle, New Balance and the Royal Society for Blind Children are behind the introduction of braille banners in the crowd in support of blind and vision impaired runners, while The British Heart Foundation is this year’s official charity. More than 1,000 of this year’s partipants will be running for the BHF and TV fitness guru Derrick Errol Evans MBE - better known as Mr Motivator - will be heading up its volunteer cheer squad as chief cheerleader.
Other amateur highlights include Kieran Wall, 24, who is running the race dressed as a brain for the Stroke Association; army veteran Lexi Alyx Chambers, 44, who’s attempting the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a non-racing wheelchair; and Ukrainian refugees Kostiantyn Bidnenko, 35, and Viktoriya Kiose, 29, who fled the war in February and are running in support of president Zelensky’s Ukrainian relief initiative United 24.
It’s also the 30th year of the iconic rhino costume worn by runners fundraising for Save the Rhino International. The current rhino record is an impressive four hours and six minutes, so that’s the time to beat unless you’re happy being overtaken by a runner wearing an almighty 13kg animal carcass.
Where to go after
On the off-chance your runner doesn’t collapse in a heap on the finish line and beg to be carried home, choose your celebration spot wisely. The Red Lion and The Westminster Arms pubs are famously popular finish line drinking spots near St James Park, but be warned: they will be busy.
If the crowds are proving too hectic, Market Halls — a food hall comprising eight kitchens, a bar and a roof terrace — is just a 15 minute walk from The Mall, opposite Victoria train station, and is offering 15 per cent off house drinks to marathon runners with a medal.
Market Halls isn’t the only London establishment offering free food and drink to hungry medal-holders. Among the highlights: Bill’s is offering runners a free burger and a beer, Meatliquor is also offering free burgers and Franco Manca is doing free pizza for finishers until Monday evening. There’s also 15 per cent off any full price running gear until October 31 at Runners Need, if you can face the thought of ever jogging again.
Several of the capital’s sports stores are opening their doors to finishers on race day, too. From midday until 6pm, there’ll be free 30-minute massages, manicures and pedicures for runners at PUMA’s House of Rest and Recovery at 20 Buckingham Palace Road. Medal-holders can also head to On Point2’s multi-sensory running pop-up at 180 The Strand between 2pm and 5pm for a massage or recovery stretching session. There’ll be a cool-down party there from 5pm, featuring a bar, live DJ and exclusive tee for all medal holders.
If you can’t make it down to this year, don’t panic. The full event will be streamed live on BBC One and there’s only six months to wait until the next one.
After three years of the event taking place in October thanks to Covid, the race returns to its usual April slot for 2023 (the ballot is already open), which is probably rather comforting news for any of those who spent summer training through the heatwave. Hopefully Farah’s hip will have recovered by then, too.
