Last year the London Marathon attracted a record number of participants. Photo: For The Daily Telegraph/Heathcliff O'Malley < p>The London Marathon, an integral part of the spring sports calendar, returns this year after a record number of participants in 2023.
This race will be the first London Marathon since the death of Kelvin Kiptum, last year's men's winner and world record holder, in a car accident in Kenya.
When is the 2024 London Marathon?
This year the race will take place on Sunday, April 21.
What time will the races start?
Exact dates have not yet been confirmed, but in previous years the elite and wheelchair races have started at various times from 8:30am, with the public event starting at 9:30am.
London Marathon route: where does it start and end?
The London Marathon route follows its usual route, starting at Greenwich and Blackheath, with competitors split into three lines that converge at the three mile mark. The route heads east to Woolwich, then back west to Greenwich center via Rotherhithe and Bermondsey. From there it crosses north via Tower Bridge, marking the approximate halfway point. Athletes then loop around Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs before the course heads west along the north bank of the Thames past the Tower of London towards Trafalgar Square and onto the shopping center where it ends in front of Buckingham Palace.
To download for a map of the course, click here.
The course is home to some of London's most famous landmarks.
- Cutty Stark, 6 Mile
- 12 Tower Bridge mile
- Tower of London, mile 22
- London Eye, mile 25
- Big Ben, mile 25
- Buckingham Palace, Mile 26
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How many people run the London Marathon?
Last year, 49,272 runners started the race and 43,965 finished. (that's 5,307 people who didn't complete the course).
London Marathon Prize Fund
This year, for the first time, equal prize money will be offered for wheelchair and disabled races. The winner of each elite race will take home £43,500.
London Marathon Events Director Hugh Brasher said: “We have made great strides in recent years towards our goal of making the London Marathon the most diverse and equitable marathon in the world, and this is another important step towards achieving this goal.”
On which TV channel is showing the London Marathon?
The London Marathon will be shown on the BBC, as well as BBC iPlayer and Red Button. This year's broadcast schedule is yet to be confirmed, but in 2023 the main broadcast began on BBC One at 8:30am, before moving to BBC Two at 2:15pm and exclusively on iPlayer and online at 3:00pm. Highlights were shown on BBC Two at 6pm.
The production involved about 200 people, 40 cameras and half a dozen motorcycles. Several helicopters are used to broadcast elite races. Recent commentators have included Steve Cram, Paula Radcliffe and Tanni Gray-Thompson.
Who is competing in the men's and women's elite races?
Women
Tigist Assefa (ETH) 2:11:53
Brigitte Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04
Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18
Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:07
Almaz Ayana (ETH) 2:16:22
Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:17: 09
Perez Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:17:16
Joisilyn Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17 :23
Yalemzerf Yehualave (ETH) 2:17:23
Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:17:29
Tsige Haileslase (ETH) 2:22:10
Suzanne Sullivan (USA) 2:24 :27
Manon Trapp (France) 2:25:48
Becky Briggs (UK) 2:29:04
Alice Wright (UK) 2:29:08
Men
Kennisa Bekele (ETH) 2:01:41
Mosinet Geremev (ETH) 2:02:55
Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 2:03:11
Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:03:39
Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48
Kinde Atanau (ETH) 2: 03:51
Leul Gebresilase (ETH) 2:04: 02
Jeffrey Kamworor (KEN) 2:04:23
Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:04:29
Daniel Do Nascimento (BRA) 2:04:51
Addisu Gobena (ETH) 2: 05:01
Milquesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:05:29
Henok Tesfaye (ERI) 2:07 :12
Emile Kaires (Great Britain) 2:08:07
Callum Hawkins (Great Britain) 2:08:14
Hassan Shahdi (France) 2:08:19
Mahamed Mahamed (Great Britain) 2:08:40
Brian Schrader (USA) 2:09: 46
Waynie Gebresilasi (Great Britain) 2:09:50
Mark Scott's debut (Great Britain)
London Marathon records
The men's course record was broken last year when Kelvin Kiptoom ran 2 hours 1 minute 25 seconds. Kiptum, 24, died in a car accident in February. Paula Radcliffe holds the women's distance record with a time of 2:15:25, set in 2003.
The winner among women in 2023 was Sifan Hassan, who ran her debut marathon. Hassan lost contact with the leading group when she stopped to warm up, but caught up again and took the sprint victory.
What are the best places to view?
The busiest places on the circuit are usually Greenwich, Tower Bridge and Westminster. Typically, miles 9–12 (Rotherhithe and Bermondsey) and miles 14–21 (Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs) have far fewer spectators. To see the runners pass twice, take the highway at Wapping, which is used first from west to east and then again from east to west, although it tends to be a popular viewpoint.
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