London Marathon 2026 - Race Recap
Last year didn't go so well. This year was a different story.
This blog is long overdue. Should have written it soon after finishing the 2026 London Marathon, but then life got in the way. Work, holidays, and other commitments meant that this blog dropped to the bottom of my priority list. It didn’t fall completely off the list though, and I knew I wanted to capture it at some point. So here it is - my race recap of the 2026 London Marathon.
Saturday 25th April 2026 - the night before raceday. The feelings never change - nerves, excitement, restless, overthinking all rolled into a state of mind that makes it hard to get a good nights sleep. I do remember that my sleep was better than I thought it would be, probably due to the fact that I had attempted to race London before and it was no longer my first marathon. Another pro tip for anyone entering a race - triple check that you put in the correct estimated finish time. I happened to check my entry the day before and realised I had put a finish time of 02:30, meaning my wave was completely wrong. Luckily, it didn’t change much and I could get up and leave a bit later than planned.
The journey to raceday is something you want done as smooth as possible - but with 60,000 runners taking part this year it’s inevitable you’ll run into the crowds. I caught them at London Bridge station, as I was changing from the tube to the train to get to Blackheath. The station was rammed, with everyone seemingly needing the same train that I was waiting for. The train to Blackheath was more full than during rush hour - think condensate on the inside of windows from the amount of people inside. I was very glad to get off and get some fresh air as I complete the walk to Blackheath. Changed into my racing gear, used the loo, ate a PB&J sandwich and dropped my bag off. I was assigned the ‘Blue’ start zone, which had plenty of space for runners to prepare and not get in the way of eachother.
Weather was something I was keeping a keen eye on, as it was forecasted to be a pretty hot day. I took all the essentials with me - sunhat, sunglasses, electrolyte gels etc., to be prepared whichever way it went. By the time I had arrived at Blackheath, the temperature was on it’s way up - it was going to be a warm one. Decided before even starting my race to slow down and play it by ear - the last thing I want to do is overcook myself on the first half. Wanted to leave enough in the tank for a strong final 10km.
Wave 5, blue start line were given the thumbs up, and we were off! Immediately told myself to slow down - achieved this my high fiving many people for the first few miles which was pretty effective. My race belt was bouncing all over the shop for the first few km, which was quite annoying and made it hard to get into a rhythm. Thankfully, the belt found it’s steady state after a while and stayed there for the rest of the race. My first few km were around 5:15-5:30/km. A little slower than I would have liked, but slower is better this early on in the race.
As you can see from the map above, the first few miles of the race are run on various routes depending on your start location. It then all comes together at mile 3, where the waves join together and run the iconic route. I started rehydrating from mile 6 (I probably could have taken on fluids earlier). For the remainder of the race, I would visit each water station and take a bottle - half of it I would drink and the other half would go over my head to keep my cool. I remember running past Greenwich Park, and then reaching Cutty Sark, an iconic spot along the route. A tight hairpin bend to get round it, but you get some big crowds that push you forward as you make your way to Tower Bridge. Historically, the Cutty Sark to Tower Bridge section ends up being the fastest section for a lot of people due to adrenaline and crowds, so I made sure to keep an eye on my pace and stay steady.
Arriving at Tower Bridge was awesome, just as how I remembered it from last time when I DNF’d. It’s a wall of noise that you hear before you see. Over the bridge and turn right, Canary Wharf lies a few miles in front of you. During the weekdays it is best known for the world of finance, but on Sunday it too transformed with DJs, music and heavy crowds. Thinking back to 2025, it was in Canary Wharf that I started to struggle with pace and fitness, but this year was totally different. I felt strong running between the skyscraper-clad roads, sticking to the fuelling and hydration plan, and emerged from Canary Wharf keen to get after the last 6 or so miles.
The race strategy was drilled into my head. “Halfway isn’t halfway” was the message I told myself. Mentally, this kept me ready for the second half of the race, and also told me to have enough in the tank for the last 6 miles. As I reached this point, I thought again about how different last year was. In 2025 I was walking at this point along the route, pretty much running on nothing, and a few miles later I would find myself in a medical tent with a DNF. Not this time. I remember running past the spot I pulled out, feeling completely different and ready to give it my all for the final miles.
Emerging from under lower Thames Street (which is the only spot on the race where there are no crowds), I could see Parliament ahead of me. Running past Big Ben and the London Eye, the last mile gave me a few half-cramps on my quads and hamstrings (probably because I was out of salt by this point), so slowed it down a tad to allow my legs to recover. Along the side of St James’s Park, past Buckingham Palace and down the Mall. “Sweet Caroline” was playing as I crossed the finish line and enjoyed those last few yards to the finish.
03:46:50. London Marathon Complete.
Setting aside the marathon PB, I had a great time around the course. I was fortunate enough to see friends/family 9 times along the route, and having them there gave me that boost when I needed it. The crowds all the way round were insane. This year I got a lot more involved with them, and that definitely gave me the push and energy when I needed it. Random strangers shouting your name, giving you a thumbs up or hyping you up as you go past - it’s the one day in the year where everyone puts their differences asides and becomes one large family.
Now for the more technical side of things. Fuelling and hydration plan was solid - didn’t really hit the runners wall in that race (probably my first ever race where I haven’t hit the wall). Held my discipline to get a gel in every 30 mins - although that final gel no where near as tasty as the first. With the warmer weather, I deliberately drank a lot more water than I usually do - at least half a bottle at each water station, and then poured the rest onto my head to keep me cool under the heat. Pacing was good - held enough in the tank so that my last 10km was still strong, when a lot of other people around me were suffering in the heat. Did have a small niggle in my soleus muscle on my left calf from quite early on in the race, but the pain sort of went away as I ran. Still, it’s an area for improvement - and a question if my body is used to running in neutral running shoes (after switching from a more supportive pair), or I still need time. Strength training this training block has really paid off, legs felt like they had power throughout and could push on when needed. Salt intake could have been increased as I got cramps at mile 25. Race belt worked well once a few gels were consumed, but it was moving around too much early on.
The road to London Marathon 2026 has been a year-long journey that started as soon as I had that DNF last year. Knew there was a lot of lessons to be learnt and work to do to get to this point. Stuck to it as best as I could and trusted the process. Made some sacrifices over the past 5 months and gave it my all.
Very content with how that race went - at last I can say I have run the London Marathon!
