London half draws thousands

Thousands of runners filled central London on Sunday, April 12, for the London Landmarks Half Marathon, a 13.1-mile race staged on closed roads through Westminster and the City. (bbc.co.uk) The course took runners past Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London, with spectators lining the streets as club runners, first-time entrants, charity fundraisers and celebrities moved through the capital. (bbc.co.uk) The event is run by the pregnancy and baby charity Tommy’s, and the organizer said the 2026 race involved over 800 official charities. Tommy’s road-closure notice said vehicle and bicycle access was barred on affected roads during closure periods, with emergency services and pedestrian access maintained. (llhm.co.uk) The race has become a major charity fixture in London since its first edition in 2018. Tommy’s said this month that the event had raised more than £75 million for more than 800 charitable causes over the past eight years. (tommys.org) The half marathon also stands out because organizers market it as London’s only half marathon that runs through both the City of Westminster and the City of London. The official event site listed Sunday’s edition as a closed-road race on April 12, 2026. (llhm.co.uk, llhm.co.uk) BBC London reported that Jo Whiley, Alexandra Burke, Tyler West and Molly Rainford were among the better-known entrants this year. Whiley told the broadcaster at the start that she felt “quite nervous but excited” before the race. (bbc.co.uk) The event’s scale has grown sharply in the past two years. Civil Society reported that more than 20,000 runners took part in the 2025 race, while charity trade publication UK Fundraising said about 20,000 runners took part again in 2026. (civilsociety.co.uk, fundraising.co.uk) By Sunday evening, the race had again delivered what organizers promise each spring: a traffic-free run through the center of London, framed by landmarks and built around charity fundraising. (llhm.co.uk, bbc.co.uk)