Spencer BardenElite leader Athletes in the London Marathon, outlines the work that goes into it creating the perfect platform for the world’s best.
By the time an elite athlete steps up to the start line at the London Marathon, a lot of work has gone into getting them there, ready to go. It is not just the run performed by the athlete or the careful preparation undertaken by the coaching team, but also the efforts of the event organizers that have a reputation to protect.
London is seen as the world’s most prestigious marathon for good reason, but that in turn creates performance pressure for those behind the scenes looking to make sure they put on a show.
Spencer Barden is a former Briton who is the Elite Athlete Leader of the London Marathon events. His summary, given each year by CEO Hugh Brasher, is clear. “I want the best industries in the world,” and work is already underway to meet those expectations by 2027.
Barden is no stranger to working with the best. He was instrumental in assembling the squads for the INEOS 1:59 project in 2019, as well as recruiting athletes for the Diamond League matches in London and Doha. But rarely has the satisfaction of a job well done been sweeter than when Sebastian Soi flew to 1:59:30.
That performance was the end result of countless conversations and careful consideration of how best to set the stage. Here, Barden offers his take on what happens before the starting gun is fired.
London reputation
“Athletes’ managers always say: “London is like winning the Olympics.” It’s such a prestigious thing to win in London. It really elevates the status of the athlete because they know they have to run fast and also it’s the best field. because we have some great sponsors behind us and that allows us to bring depth to the fields as well as quality.”
Collection of fields
“There is an art to it. Much of the work is built from relationships with managers and contacts over many years. Many of those managers are related to athletes who also run track, so I am in contact with them 12 months of the year because of my track work.
“I always think about what we can do better every year. When Jacob Kiplimo was thinking about taking part in the marathon, I knew that he would make his debut in London two or three years in advance (2025) because I had already discussed it with his manager.
“We always want our defending champions to come back and that conversation starts relatively early and you can’t have them all so you have to be selective about what works well for the race and what is needed. What I learned quickly is that relationships with managers are important.”
It’s all about pace
“From now until December the emphasis is on consolidating the fields and that process has already started for next year. August, September, when the real discussions start and when we come out of the marathons in New York and Valencia, we are not too far from the fields that are preparing.
“Once I get the pitches, I start mapping out the different rhythm groups, and then I start having those active discussions with the front group. What are we looking at and what players do we have? It’s more about supporting the group than an individual, but at the same time I’m happy to have a discussion, whether it’s with Sebastian Save or Jacob, if they’ve got it with their management. This year, Andrea Kipto was one of the players associated with Sebastian, and the other, Oscar Chelimo, is Jacob’s brother, and it was very well received by the women.
“Then it’s a case of trying to get the athlete to the right level to go at least halfway, and ideally we want 25m or 30km. If we have a lead group, obviously they work off of each other as well.
“Once I have an idea of the athletes available for each of the groups, then we can start fine-tuning the times. This year we had the leading group in 2:01, then Amanal Petros in 2:03:30 looking for the European record, then the British group which was Phil Sesemann, Patrick Dever and Mohamed Passe06.
“The week before the race is never over, but in the previous four or six weeks there is a lot of active talk about who is in what group. We have pacers that I bring back year after year and one of the good things we’ve done in recent years is use some of the British athletes in the rhythm groups.
“Communication is the most important thing in rating groups because the last thing we need is a group that is going out too quickly and there is a big gap between that group and the athletes. What usually happens, for East Africans of course, is that they panic because if they get a certain pace, they feel they have to go at that pace or they think they’re going to lose their pace.
“On Saturday morning we have women’s and men’s rating meetings where we talk about pace groups, they get pace charts and I always tell them, “I’m not here to take your pace fee. I want you to support the athletes as much as possible.”
The basic rules of the World Marathon are to have a maximum of three pacers per group. It looks better on TV. If we only have a wall of five or six pacers, you can’t see the athletes, so the quality of the pacers is really important. In our temp contracts, everyone gets a different base pay based on what group they are in, then they get a minimum bonus. up to 25 km and a bonus if they reach up to 30 km”.
Athlete experience
“It depends on the athletes on the day, so for me it’s all about the experience of the athletes. London is considered the best marathon in the world, so it is important that we make it the best experience in the world for athletes.
“That means we book the plane tickets, we meet the athletes off the plane, we escort them through the airport, we take them on a fast track through immigration and then our meet and greet team will take them to the hotel.It’s the little things that really matter. We have an exclusive athlete dinner and work with the hotel chef to design the menus. I talk to the managers, get some feedback from the athletes about their needs, their diet and everything else. We’re also five minutes from Hyde Park, which athletes love for their training in preparation for the event.
“The good thing is that we’ve done a great job in terms of getting the athletes to the starting line in the best shape and then they have to perform on the day. We have to have the right pace, we have to place the drinks of elite athletes in the right way. Table:
“There are a lot of things that we have taken on board in being involved in INEOS 1:59. As the organizer of the event, we learned very well how you prepare in detail, and a number of London Marathon staff were involved in the project. It allowed us to make some adjustments to some things. Athletes don’t just show up and compete.”
Playing a role in the story
“Right after the men’s race, Hugh Brasher called me and said, “I can’t believe what happened,” and I said. “I think we’re all in a bit of shock here.” It’s such a great story.
“I’m sure athletes will run faster, but what they can’t take away from London is that it’s the first time it’s happened in an official marathon, and it always will be. People will always remember that. And it’s a memorable date too: April 26, 2026.
“It’s such a prestigious role in the London Marathon. Being involved in 1:59 and now doing what we did in London this year, it’s just a privilege to be a part of it and to be able to kind of play a part in history. It should be a big team effort and you play your main part in it, but when you thought: part, if we didn’t do our part and do it well, it wouldn’t happen.”
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