London Marathon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids London Marathon |
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| Date | April |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Established | 29 March 1981 |
| Course records | Men: 2:01:25 (Kelvin Kiptum, 2023) Women: 2:15:25 (Paula Radcliffe, 2003) Wheelchair men: 1:23:44 (Marcel Hug, 2023) Wheelchair women: 1:38:24 (Catherine Debrunner, 2022) |
 2025 London Marathon |
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The London Marathon (also known as the TCS London Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is a huge annual running event held in London, England. It's one of the biggest marathons in the world, with over 53,700 people finishing the race in 2024! For the 2025 event, more than 840,000 people applied to run.
The marathon was started in 1981 by two athletes, Chris Brasher and John Disley. It usually takes place in April, but it was moved to October in 2020, 2021, and 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The race course is mostly flat and follows the River Thames. It starts in Blackheath and finishes at The Mall.
The London Marathon isn't just one race; it has different parts. There's a big race for the public, professional races for top men and women runners, and special wheelchair races for elite athletes. There's also a 3-mile mini marathon for younger athletes under 17. A huge part of the marathon is about charity running. Runners have raised over £1 billion for good causes since the event began! In 2024 alone, they raised £67 million, which was a record for a single-day fundraising event.
Since 2006, the professional race has been part of the World Marathon Majors. This is a series of six of the world's best marathon races. The London Marathon has seen the marathon world record broken seven times! Famous runners like Khalid Khannouchi and Paula Radcliffe have set new records here. The current fastest times on this course are held by Kelvin Kiptum (2 hours, 1 minute, 25 seconds in 2023) and Paula Radcliffe (2 hours, 15 minutes, 25 seconds in 2003). For wheelchair athletes, the records are held by Marcel Hug (1 hour, 23 minutes, 44 seconds in 2023) and Catherine Debrunner (1 hour, 38 minutes, 24 seconds in 2022). Since 2022, the race has been called the "TCS London Marathon" because of its main sponsor.
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History of the London Marathon
The London Marathon wasn't the first long-distance race in the city. There was an older event called the Polytechnic Marathon, which started way back in 1909.
The modern London Marathon began in 1981. It was created by Olympic champion and journalist Chris Brasher and fellow athlete John Disley. After running the New York City Marathon in 1979, Brasher was so inspired that he wrote an article for The Observer newspaper. He described the New York race as a "joyous family" event where people worked together and achieved amazing things.
The very first London Marathon took place on March 29, 1981. More than 20,000 people wanted to run, but 6,747 were accepted, and 6,255 finished the race. The marathon quickly became very popular. By 2009, over 746,000 people had completed the race. In 2010, a record 36,549 people crossed the finish line.
The first wheelchair marathon race was held in 1983. This event helped to change how people viewed disabled athletes, showing their incredible abilities. In 2013, the IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup was even held as part of the London Marathon.
For many years, the London Marathon and the Polytechnic Marathon were rivals. But the London Marathon became so popular that the Polytechnic Marathon eventually stopped in 1996.
After the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, the London Marathon organisers reviewed their security plans. A 30-second silence was held before the race to show support for those affected by the tragedy.
How the Race is Organised
The London Marathon is currently organised by Hugh Brasher (Chris Brasher's son) as the race director, and Nick Bitel as the chief executive.
Many people help make the marathon happen. About 150 doctors provide medical care along the route. More than 1,500 volunteers from St. John Ambulance set up over 50 first aid stations and three field hospitals at the finish line. They also provide nurses, paramedics, and ambulances.
The BBC broadcasts the event live for most of the morning. The famous theme music for the coverage is called "Main Titles to The Trap," composed by Ron Goodwin for a 1966 film called The Trap.
The race has different starting times for different groups. First, the Elite Women start, then the Wheelchair athletes (men and women), followed by the Elite Men, and finally, the huge Mass Race for everyone else.
The Marathon Course
The London Marathon course is mostly flat and runs for 42.195 kilometres (about 26.2 miles) around the River Thames.
The route has markers every mile. While the race information often uses miles, the timing results for runners are given in kilometres.
The race starts from three different points near Blackheath, south of the River Thames. These three starting paths come together after about 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) in Woolwich.
As runners reach the 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) mark, they pass by the Old Royal Naval College and head towards the famous Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich. The course then goes through Deptford and Surrey Quays in the Docklands. Runners then go along Jamaica Road and reach the halfway point as they cross Tower Bridge.
After Tower Bridge, they run east along The Highway through Wapping, then towards Limehouse and into Mudchute and Canary Wharf.
Leaving Canary Wharf, the route leads through Poplar and back towards Limehouse and Commercial Road. They then return to The Highway, and onto Lower and Upper Thames Streets. In the final part of the race, runners pass the Tower of London on Tower Hill. In the last mile along The Embankment, they can see the London Eye. Finally, athletes turn right into Birdcage Walk, passing Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, and finish at The Mall near St. James's Palace. This final section was also used for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Course.
The course has changed very little since the first marathon. In 2005, a section around the Isle of Dogs was changed, and the route avoided a cobbled area near the Tower of London to help runners. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was run on a special looped course around St James's Park instead of the usual route.
Race Results and Records
The London Marathon is one of the six major marathons in the world, part of the World Marathon Majors competition. The first marathon in 1981 had 7,741 people start, and 6,255 finished. The first men's elite race in 1981 was a tie between American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, who crossed the finish line holding hands. The first women's elite race was won by Briton Joyce Smith.
In 1983, the first wheelchair races were held. Gordon Perry won the men's wheelchair race, and Denise Smith won the women's.
New world records for marathon running have been set several times at the London Marathon. Khalid Khannouchi set the men's world record in 2002. The next year, British runner Paula Radcliffe set a women's world record. In 2017, Mary Keitany of Kenya set a world record for an all-women's marathon. The current men's course record is held by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum from 2023. For wheelchair athletes, Marcel Hug and Manuela Schär hold the course records from 2021.
Amateur Runners and Charity
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Most of the tens of thousands of participants in the London Marathon are amateur runners. Many of them run in fun costumes to raise money for charity.
Some runners have achieved amazing things. In 2002, Lloyd Scott completed the marathon wearing a heavy deep sea diving suit, setting a record for the slowest time! In 2003, former boxer Michael Watson, who was told he might never walk again after a fight, finished the marathon in six days. Famous people like Sir Steve Redgrave and Steve Chalke have raised millions of pounds in sponsorship. In 2012, Claire Squires sadly collapsed during the race and died, but the £500 she had raised before the race grew to over £1 million after her death, showing how much people care.
A small group of runners, called the "Ever Presents," have completed every single London Marathon since it started in 1981. In 2019, there were 10 of them left.
How to Enter the Race
There are several ways runners can get a spot in the London Marathon:
- Charity Places: Most runners get a spot by agreeing to raise a certain amount of money for a registered charity. The London Marathon is very focused on charity running, and participants have raised over £1 billion since it began.
- General Ballot: This is like a lottery. It's become very hard to get a place this way because so many people apply. For the 2024 race, less than 3% of applicants were successful. The 2025 ballot received over 840,000 applications!
- Good For Age Entry: This is for faster runners who have achieved a certain time in another marathon, based on their age.
- Other ways include Championship entries for elite runners, places for affiliated running clubs, and a few spots for celebrities or international tour operators.
Mini Marathon for Young Athletes
The Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon is a special race for younger athletes. It covers the last 3 miles (about 5 kilometres) of the main London Marathon course. It's for runners under 13, under 15, and under 17 from London boroughs, English regions, and the Home Countries (Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). There's also a Mini Wheelchair race. This event also serves as the British Athletics 3-mile Championships.
BBC Live Coverage
The BBC has shown live coverage of the London Marathon since it started in 1981. They have broadcast the entire race since 1984. Famous presenters like Sue Barker and Jonathan Edwards have hosted the coverage.
The well-known theme music used by the BBC for the marathon is from the film score of The Trap, a 1966 movie. The music was written by Ron Goodwin.
Sponsors of the Marathon
The London Marathon has had several main sponsors over the years. The first sponsor was Gillette (1981–1983). Other sponsors have included Mars, ADT, NutraSweet, and Flora. Virgin Money sponsored the marathon from 2010 to 2021. Since 2022, the Indian company Tata Consultancy Services has been the main sponsor, which is why it's now called the TCS London Marathon.
Many other companies also support the event, like New Balance, Lucozade Sport, and Fuller's Brewery.
See also
- London Triathlon
