30.07.2025
Reading time: 6 min

London Marathon

London Marathon

The TCS London Marathon is a 42.195 km marathon held annually in April, with approximately 40,000 athletes taking part. The race is one of the “Big Six” along withmarathons in Berlin, New York, Chicago, Tokyo and Boston.

History of the London Marathon

The idea to start the London Marathon belongs to Chris Brasher. In 1979 he took part inNew York Marathonand became eager to hold a similar mass sporting event in the capital of Great Britain. Brasher began to study the intricacies of organizing mass races. He went to New York once more, and also toBoston.

After returning to London, Chris Brasher, together with John Disley, who became the second founder of the race, signed a three-year contract with Gillette. The sponsorship agreement was worth 75 thousand pounds, and the marathon was given the status of a charity.

Thoughtful preparation and the presence of a title sponsor had an effect. Over 20,000 applications were submitted for the first London Marathon, held on March 29, 1981. The organizers could not accept everyone who wanted to run. 6,747 people took part. The following year, the number of people wishing to take part in the race increased several times, and the number of participants increased to 18,059 people.

Currently, the annual number of participants is from 30 to 40 thousand people. Those wishing to take part both from the UK and from other parts of the world are always several times more.

London Marathon route

The TCS London Marathon course is one of the fastest in the world, characterized by a minimal difference in altitude (up to 40 m). The major is distinguished by stable weather. In April, the air temperature in the capital of Great Britain varies between +10 and +15 degrees. These are ideal conditions for marathon running.

The London Marathon starts in Greenwich Park in the south-east of the city and finishes on The Mall, which links Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. The route runs along both banks of the Thames.

Marathon participants are divided into starting zones based on expected finish times. It is permissible to start from a block with a lower time without prior notification to the organizers, but not vice versa. There is a time limit of 8 hours for completing the marathon, with the finish officially closing at 19:00, with intermediate time limits in effect.

Along the route, participants have access to 19 water and food stations, where they are provided with drinking water, isotonic drinks and energy gels. There are also water sprinklers installed along the route to refresh marathon runners.

When is the London Marathon held?

Traditionally, the London Marathon is held in April. The exceptions were 2020, 2021, 2022. The major was postponed to autumn due to the coronavirus pandemic, but not cancelled. Since 2023, the race has been held again in the spring in April. In 2023, the London Marathon will be held on April 21.

How to get to the London Marathon?

There are several ways to register for the London Marathon, but in each case the number of places is limited:

  • Participation in the lottery . Submission is only possible for a few days and usually starts in October. It is necessary to follow the information on the official website of the marathon www.tcslondonmarathon.com.
  • Good for Ages . The program is designed for fast marathon runners and allows you to take part as a qualifier. The race must be registered with UKA, the Association of International Marathons, AIMS or another authorized body in the country where it is held. The table of age categories and qualification times is presented below. The qualification period is quite short and usually starts at the beginning of September and ends at the end of October.
  • Through a tour operator . For non-residents of Great Britain, the organizers of the London Marathon offer to purchase a special package of services from a tour operator. Only agencies listed in the relevant section of the site are suitablehttps://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/international-entry/international-tour-operators.
  • Charity : Donors who want to take part in the marathon should contact the charity listed on the official websitehttps://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/charity-info/run-for-charity/i-need-a-charity-place. It is necessary to clarify whether there are places left in a particular organization. Donations to organizations not listed in the relevant section of the site are not suitable.

The marathon sets an age limit for participants – no younger than 18 years.

Age Men Women
18-39 3:00:00 3:45:00
40-44 3:05:00 3:50:00
45-49 3:10:00 3:53:00
50-54 3:15:00 4:00:00
55-59 3:20:00 4:05:00
60-64 3:45:00 4:30:00
65-69 4:00:00 5:00:00
70-74 5:00:00 6:00:00
75-79 5:15:00 6:20:00
80-84 5:30:00 6:40:00
85-89 6:10:00 7:10:00
90+ 7:20:00 7:45:00

The organizers reserve the right to change the qualification requirements. More details at https://www.tcslondonmarathon.com/enter/how-to-enter/good-for-age-entry.

All London Marathon winners

The table lists all the London Marathon winners, men and women.

Year Men Time Women Time
1981 Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen 2:11:48 Joyce Smith 2:29:57
1982 Hugh Jones 2:09:24 Joyce Smith 2:29:43
1983 Mike Gratton 2:09:43 Grete Waitz 2:25:29
1984 Charlie Spedding 2:09:57 Ingrid Christiansen 2:24:26
1985 Steve Jones 2:08:16 Ingrid Christiansen 2:21:06
1986 Toshihiko Seko 2:10:02 Grete Waitz 2:24:54
1987 Hiromi Taniguchi 2:09:50 Ingrid Christiansen 2:22:48
1988 Henrik Jørgensen 2:10:20 Ingrid Christiansen 2:25:41
1989 Douglas Wakiihuri 2:09:03 Veronique Marot 2:25:56
1990 Allister Hutton 2:10:10 Wanda Panfil 2:26:31
1991 Yakov Tolstikov 2:09:17 Rose Mota 2:26:14
1992 Antonio Pinto 2:10:02 Katherine Doerre-Heinig 2:29:39
1993 Eamonn Martin 2:10:50 Katherine Doerre-Heinig 2:27:09
1994 Dionisio Ceron 2:08:53 Katherine Doerre-Heinig 2:32:34
1995 Dionisio Ceron 2:08:30 Małgorzata Sobanska 2:27:43
1996 Dionisio Ceron 2:10:00 Liz McColgan 2:27:54
1997 Antonio Pinto 2:07:55 Joyce Chepchumba 2:26:51
1998 Abel Anton 2:07:57 Katrina McKiernan 2:26:26
1999 Abdelkadir El-Muaziz 2:07:57 Joyce Chepchumba 2:23:22
2000 Antonio Pinto 2:06:36 Tegla Lorupe 2:24:33
2001 Abdelkadir El-Muaziz 2:07:09 Tulu Derartu 2:23:57
2002 Khalid Khannouchi 2:05:38 Paula Radcliffe 2:18:56
2003 Gezahegne Abera 2:07:56 Paula Radcliffe 2:15:25
2004 Evans Rutto 2:06:18 Margaret Okayo 2:22:35
2005 Martin Lel 2:07:35 Paula Radcliffe 2:17:42
2006 Felix Limo 2:06:39 Dina Kastor 2:19:35
2007 Martin Lel 2:07:41 Chunxiu Zhou 2:20:38
2008 Martin Lel 2:05:15 Irina Mikitenko 2:24:14
2009 Samuel Wanjiru 2:05:10 Irina Mikitenko 2:22:11
2010 Tsegaye Kebede 2:05:19 Mergia Aselefesh 2:22:38
2011 Emmanuel Mutai 2:04:40 Mary Jepkosgei Keitany 2:19:19
2012 Wilson Kipsang 2:04:44 Mary Jepkosgei Keitany 2:18:37
2013 Tsegaye Kebede 2:06:04 Prisca Jeptoo 2:20:15
2014 Wilson Kipsang 2:04:29 Edna Kiplagat 2:20:21
2015 Eliud Kipchoge 2:04:42 Tufa Tigist 2:23:22
2016 Eliud Kipchoge 2:03:05 Jemima Sumgong 2:22:58
2017 Daniel Wanjiru 2:05:48 Mary Jepkosgei Keitany 2:17:01
2018 Eliud Kipchoge 2:04:27 Vivian Cheruiyot 2:18:31
2019 Eliud Kipchoge 2:02:37 Brigid Kosgei 2:18:20
2020 Shura Kitata 2:05:41 Brigid Kosgei 2:18:58
2021 Sisay Lemma 2:04:01 Joycelyn Jepkosgei 2:17:43
2022 Amos Kipruto 2:04:39 Yalemzerf Yehualav 2:17:26
2023 Kelvin Kiptum 2:01:25 Sifan Hassan 2:18:33

Kelvin Kiptum won the men’s race at the 2023 London Marathon in the second-fastest time in marathon history – 2 hours 1 minute 25 seconds.

Tragically, Kelvin Kiptum died (February 11, 2024) in a car crash at the age of 24, along with his coach Gervaise Hakizimana, on the Eldoret-Kaptagat highway in Kenya. His last record-breaking performance wasChicago Marathon2023, where he set a world record with a time of 2:00:35.

-->