A crowded, mostly level point-to-point marathon with an early descent, a small rise onto Tower Bridge and a turn-heavy Docklands section. The crowd noise changes far more dramatically than the gradient.
01 Know what you are taking on
What is the race like?
The opening descent, Tower Bridge and late Docklands
The opening descent can make an ambitious pace feel easier than it is. Keep that section controlled, resist a surge onto Tower Bridge and expect the turn-heavy Docklands section to need concentration when your legs are tiring. Use elapsed splits at official markers if the watch pace jumps between tall buildings.
The course, section by section
Open a section for the terrain and a practical pacing cue.
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Opening sectionWoolwich · Charlton
The separate starting routes merge before Mile 3.
How to approach it Let the merge happen around you without trying to win a clear lane. Keep an easy-feeling effort and avoid a chain of overtakes. Your chip time begins at your own start crossing; an anxious surge through the opening field is not a useful solution to a delayed start.
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Early landmark sectionCutty Sark · Rotherhithe · Bermondsey
Turns through established city streets before Tower Bridge.
How to approach it Use the noise as a reminder to relax rather than accelerate. Look ahead around landmark turns and keep your hands available if you are approaching a drink station. Decide when to take fuel from your rehearsed routine, not from the excitement of a famous sight.
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Halfway contextTower Bridge · The Highway
Bridge crossing before the Docklands portion.
How to approach it Enjoy the bridge while keeping the effort you arrived with. It is tempting to start the second half emotionally here, but there is substantial running still ahead. Give yourself a few quiet breathing checks afterwards before making a pacing decision.
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Middle-to-late sectionMudchute · Canary Wharf · Limehouse
Urban turns and tall buildings can complicate a watch display.
How to approach it Use official distance markers and the feel of your effort if instantaneous GPS pace jumps around. Do not accelerate into every apparent slowdown. Keep fuelling steadily and focus on one repeatable movement cue rather than constantly recalculating the projected finish.
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Final sectionTower Hill · Parliament Square · Birdcage Walk · Buckingham Palace
Established final city approach; follow current finish guidance.
How to approach it Let each landmark shorten the task without turning all remaining miles into one sprint. If you can increase effort, do it in stages and hold the line available safely. Keep moving after the finish so that runners behind can enjoy the same moment.
Official maps & course details
- Same route on both days
- Both days use the same Greenwich-to-Westminster marathon route.
The following course details are from the edition shown. They help you understand the route while your edition’s final information is being prepared.
- Published course landmarks
- Separate starts merge near Woolwich; the route passes Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge, Docklands and Canary Wharf before the Embankment and The Mall.2026 reference course narrative
Use the official map for the full route. The route overview helps you prepare; use the official map or GPX for full navigation details.
02 Choose your approach
Find your race strategy.
Choose your goal. These are our pacing suggestions, based on the published course, rather than organiser instructions.
My first finish
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Start by effort and leave room around the merging fields. Avoid weaving to recover a delay at the start.
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Enjoy Cutty Sark and Tower Bridge without turning either crowd lift into a faster kilometre.
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Keep following the food and drink routine you practised. The station list shown here is a 2026 reference until the 2027 plan is released.
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Through Docklands, use short landmarks and relaxed movement cues rather than repeatedly predicting your finish time.
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On Embankment, reassess what you can sustain. Aim to finish in control rather than committing to an early sprint.
A PB or time goal
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Use a target you have supported in training. Do not bank time on the early descent.
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Let the field settle and check elapsed progress at official mile markers; an extra overtake rarely repays the energy of repeated weaving.
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Hold your intended effort across Tower Bridge. The crowd noise is not a signal to begin the final push.
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In Docklands, avoid correcting every GPS pace jump. Keep fuelling and use the official markers for your split checks.
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Make any increase after the return west a gradual decision based on effort, legs and remaining distance. If conditions are tougher, revise the target.
If the weather or your pace changes
Check the forecast for your allocated day, not just for marathon weekend generally. In warmth, reduce your early effort and use your rehearsed hydration approach rather than forcing the cool-weather target. In rain, test how kit and fuel storage behave when wet and take turns with awareness. Crowds and buildings can create very different sensations within the course, so make gradual decisions from how you feel. A slower start may be the most useful adaptation you make if conditions are less favourable than training.
03 Know what is on the course
Drinks, fuel & toilets.
2026 station information · Check the final 2027 guide for changes.
- Water stations
- Water at miles 3, 6, 9 and 12, then every two miles to mile 24.
- Sports drink and gels
- Lucozade Sport at miles 7, 15, 21 and 23; Lucozade Sport gels at miles 13 and 19.
- Bottle refill points
- Refills at miles 5, 10, 14, 17 and 20.
- Toilets
- At the start and finish, and every mile from 1 to 24. Accessible toilets at miles 1 and 2, then every even mile to 24, as well as the start and finish.
Turn the station list into your plan
Mark the stops you expect to use and the fuel you will carry. If you use a gel that needs water, pair it with a published water point. Practise the products and cup or bottle format before race day; you do not have to try every item offered.
04 Before the start
Your race morning.
Times are local to the event. Work back from your own wave, allowing for the walk, toilets and bag drop.
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The start
Indicative start times
Saturday is likely to start at 09:00 and Sunday at 09:30; these times remain provisional.
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Finish window
Saturday finish limit
The Mall finish closes at 17:30 on 24 April; the organiser gives a maximum completion allowance of 7 hours 45 minutes.
Sunday finish limit
The secondary finish in Green Park closes at 23:59:59 on 25 April.
Start & finish access
- Two-day edition
- The 2027 event takes place on 24 and 25 April; participants may run the in-person marathon on one day only.
- Your start wave
- Participants are due to receive their start-wave time by email about three weeks before Marathon Day.
Race number & collection
- Running Show plans
- An extra Tuesday opening for the Running Show is being considered; exact collection arrangements are still to be confirmed.
Kit rules & accessibility
- Allocated race day
- The organiser does not allow swaps or requests to change an allocated race day.
- Sunday progress tracking
- On Sunday, the organiser may scan bibs manually for participants behind eight-hour pace as timing equipment is packed away. This is separate from the Green Park closing time.
Your allocated wave, event emails and final runner instructions take priority. Read the guide for your distance before travelling.
05 Make the day work together
Supporters & getting around.
Plan your support
For one reliable cheer, choose Rotherhithe rather than trying to reach every landmark. If you add a second sighting, allow for station queues and walking around barriers. Agree a named reunion away from the finish exit, the side of the road and a backup if phones do not connect.
The places below are viewing ideas from the linked route or spectator guide. Use your edition’s access map for barriers, permitted crossings and any crew restrictions.
Rotherhithe / Surrey Quays
The published spectator guide suggests these station alternatives to busy Canada Water. Pick one clear position before your runner arrives.
Tower Bridge
Arrive early. The published guide suggests London Bridge rather than Tower Hill or Tower Gateway for access.
Canary Wharf / Heron Quays
For this section, the published guide recommends the Elizabeth line or Canary Wharf DLR. Allow extra time in the crowds.
Limehouse / return towards central London
The published guide suggests Shadwell via Cable Street as an alternative to busy Limehouse. Use the final two-day access plan before choosing a crossing.
Published spectator guidance; 2027 two-day access arrangements not yet confirmed
Official spectator or route information
Make the cheer easy to find
Agree a named point, the side of the road and your likely arrival window. Share your bib number for official tracking. Pick a separate reunion beyond the finish exit and a backup if the phone signal is poor.
Getting there and getting home
- Start journey
- Use the final participant instructions for your allocated start colour and Saturday or Sunday. The published course has separate Greenwich/Blackheath start areas, so a generic destination is not enough.2027 allocation; start access from published route context
06 Before you book
Entry, fees & time limits.
The public ballot has closed and results were issued on 9 July. Limited official charity places remain; specialist entry categories have separate conditions.
- Ballot acceptance
- Ballot winners had to confirm their details by 16:00 BST on 31 July 2026.
- Other entry routes
- The organiser lists charity, Good For Age, Championship, club, international and disability entry routes.
- UK ballot fee
- The advertised standard UK ballot fee was £79.99. The £49.99 fee applied to the optional donation/second-ballot arrangement. Charity and specialist places have their own terms.
Transfers, refunds & deferrals
- Deferral deadline
- Eligible Saturday entrants must defer by 23:59:59 on 23 April; eligible Sunday entrants by 23:59:59 on 24 April.
- Deferral eligibility
- Eligible UK ballot, club and stakeholder entries can defer; charity places are handled by the charity, and Good For Age and Championship places have limited exceptions.
- Bib transfers
- Entries cannot be transferred to another runner.
Can you finish inside the time limit?
- Saturday finish limit
- The Mall finish closes at 17:30 on 24 April; the organiser gives a maximum completion allowance of 7 hours 45 minutes.
- Sunday finish limit
- The secondary finish in Green Park closes at 23:59:59 on 25 April.
Stay in the loop
Email me event updates.
Spend more time training and less time checking. Get the key updates for your race, straight to your inbox.
07 Make your training relevant
Practise for this course.
One thing to rehearse
Practise your fuel timing and a simple elapsed-time split plan. Have a separate morning plan for your allocated start colour and race day: 2027 runs across Saturday and Sunday.
08 Put your plan together
Useful before race day.
Plan your pre-run fuel
Explore meals and snacks around the time you have before running.
Make race fuel feel familiar
Understand how to practise taking carbohydrate during longer runs.
Arrive ready, not worn out
Understand what changes in the final weeks before a marathon.
A plan that fits your life.
Running, strength or both, with feedback and adjustments as your training develops.
Official race information
Use the organiser’s information for current entry terms, the published route and your final runner instructions. Course resources show their edition where it is known. Pacing and training suggestions are The Runner’s Journal’s guidance and should fit your experience, health and conditions.