London Marathon expects 59,000 finishers
- The 46th TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 26, is expected to draw more than 59,000 finishers, with defending champions Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa leading a packed elite field. - Organizers say 1,133,813 people applied through the public ballot for 2026, a world-record total that followed last year’s race setting the marathon finisher record at 56,640. - The event follows London’s 2025 finisher and fundraising records, underscoring the race’s scale in global running and charity fundraising. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk)
More than 59,000 runners are expected to finish the 46th TCS London Marathon on Sunday, April 26, a total that would top last year’s world-record field. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) (sports.yahoo.com) London Marathon Events said 1,133,813 people applied through the public ballot for the 2026 race, breaking the previous ballot record of 840,318 set for the 2025 edition. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The elite men’s field is led by defending champion Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, whose personal best is 2:02:05, and Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, the half-marathon world-record holder at 56:42. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 1) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 2) The women’s race is headed by defending champion Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia after she ran 2:15:50 in London in 2025, a women-only world record. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 1) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 2) The scale matters because London already became the world’s biggest marathon in 2025, when 56,640 people finished and broke the previous mark of 55,646 set by New York in November 2024. (guinnessworldrecords.com) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) London Marathon Events also said the 2025 race raised a record £87.3 million, extending London’s standing as the world’s largest one-day annual fundraising event. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) This year’s mass field includes an older-end benchmark too: the oldest participant is 88-year-old Harry Newton from Macclesfield, while more than one-third of United Kingdom ballot applicants were 18 to 29. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The spectacle goes beyond the front of the race, with 76 participants attempting 73 Guinness World Records, including costume, blindfolded and knitting challenges. (olympics.com) If the projected total holds, London will spend another Sunday turning ballot demand, elite racing and charity fundraising into the biggest marathon finish line in the sport. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) (guinnessworldrecords.com)
