Everything you need to know about this weekend’s action in the UK capital.
All four 2026 winners return to London on Sunday to defend their titles. Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa, along with wheelchair racers Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, are part of the 59,000-strong field that will be sent on its way by Mo Farah.
A calf injury put paid to Farah’s British record of 2:05:11 for Emile Keires’ attack, but it will be interesting to see if the likes of Patrick Dever, Mohamed Mohamed or Phil Sesemann can come close.
There will also be plenty of interest in Elish McColgan as she tackles her second marathon.
Kenya’s Save will resume his rivalry with Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo in the elite men’s race, and Soye believes it will take a record breaking record to win this year.
That’s the sign 2:01:25 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
It Last year, the pair placed one in two 2:02:27 (with 60:57 in the second half) and 2:03:37, respectively, but they’re unlikely to have it their way.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei holds the 5,000m and 10,000m world records but has so far struggled to come to terms with the marathon distance.
The Ethiopians also have a strong presence with Olympic champion Tamirat Tola, Hagos Gebrhivet and Yomif Kejelcha, the latter two among the most prolific runners and road racers over the shorter distances in recent years.
Add to that Deresa Geleta of Ethiopia PB 2:02:38 plus Amos Kipruto of Kenya PB 2:02:3.
Germany’s Amanal Petros, who won a silver medal in the marathon at the 2025 World Championships, is aiming to finish first European home.
Demons lead the British campaign
The British challenge is led by Dever, who impressed on his debut in New York last year, finishing fourth, before moving up to third after third-placed Albert Korir was disqualified for an anti-doping offence.
Further MB hopes include Mahamed chasing his PB of 2:07:05 along with Seseman who is just a few seconds slower on paper with 2:07:10.
No doubt they will be inspired to watch Britain’s Charles Hicks runs 2:04:35 in Boston this week.
Olympic triathlete champion Alex Yee is also running in London, but as part of the rhythm team.
READ MORE. Interview by Patrick Dever
Also look out for Mark Scott, Jack Rowe, Wayney Gebresilassie, Tevelde Menges, Jake Smith, Andrew Fyfe, Alex Milne and Dan Nash, while Alfie Manthorpe makes his marathon debut.
However, Sawe is the man to beat. The 31-year-old is unbeaten in his three marathons: Valencia 2023, London 2025 and Berlin 2025.
Asefa is the battered woman
Ethiopia’s Asefa leads the women’s field breaking the women’s only record en route to winning last year.
His job has been made a little easier by the withdrawal in recent weeks of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan and London 2024 winner Peres Jepchircir, the only two athletes ever to beat him over 26.2 miles.
Since switching to the marathon four years ago, Assefa has won twice in Berlin, including a world record of 2:11:53 in 2023, a women’s only world record of 2:15:50 in London, and has not finished in the top two in any of the six marathons.
However, Asefa will face stiff opposition in the form of Helen Obiri. The Kenyan is making his debut at the London Marathon and has New York City Marathon titles and two victories at the Boston Marathon after moving up to the marathon distance.
Obiri’s most recent New York victory, last November, saw him shave nearly three minutes off the course record, finishing in 2:19:51.
From England to Uruguay and back
Julia Paternain belongs to the category of international applicants as she represents Uruguay. But the 26-year-old, who won a surprise bronze medal at last year’s world championships in Tokyo, grew up in Britain and ran for Cambridge & Coleridge AC.
READ MORE. Tokyo Progress by Julia Paternain
The US-based athlete competed in both the Mini London Marathon and the Vitality Westminster Mile on the same roads as the closing stages of the TCS London Marathon, finishing second in the women’s under-17 mini marathon in 2017 and winning the Vitality Westminster Mile in the same age category later that year.
McColgan is part of a strong line-up of British women
British contenders include Eilish McColgan, Jess Warner-Judd, Rose Harvey and Abbie Donnelly.
McColgan set a Scottish record of 2:24:25 last year, beating his mum Liz’s PB, and will be looking to get closer to that 2:20 barrier this time around.
Warner-Judd will also be looking for an improvement for him great marathon debut in New York Last November, where he ran 2:24:45 on a course not considered fast.
Harvey’s best of 2:23:21 dates back to 2023 and he will aim to rediscover that form in London this weekend, while Donnelly ran 2:24:11 in Frankfurt last Octoberwhich guarantees that there will be a big fight to be crowned the best British woman in London this year.
Added to this are Lucy Reid, Louise Small and Verity Hopkins, while Alex Bell, Sam Harrison, Clara Evans and Lily Partridge are among the pacers.
Boston winners Hug and Rainbow-Cooper descend on London
Wheelchair runner Marcel Haag will become level with British Paralympian David Weir as the most successful athlete in the history of the London Marathon if he wins the men’s race on Sunday. Hug is in good shape, judging by his course record at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Kathryn Debrunner returns as the favorite in the women’s wheelchair race after losing the London road world record by just two seconds last year.
Also look out for Eden Rainbow-Cooper, the British athlete who won the women’s Boston Marathon for the second time earlier this week.
The wheelchair race starts at 08:50am, followed by the women’s elite race at 9:05am and the men’s elite and mass event at 9:35am.
Sunday’s action is covered live for UK viewers on the BBC and TNT Sports.
Mini London Marathon
Live coverage on BBC iPlayer and the London Marathon Events YouTube channel starts at 8.15am, ahead of the first race of the championship at 8.30am and continues until 4pm.
Follow AW’s social media channels and website for all the latest news and interviews.
