London Marathon excels itself - 11th May 2026

Sabastian Sawe triumphantly crossed the finish line at the 2026 London Marathon, covering the 42.195-kilometre distance in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. Stripping over a minute off the previous record, the Kenyan athlete broke the world record, instantly shattering the long-held assumption that a sub-two-hour time was beyond human capability.

This record was merely one of a series in this year's London race. Participating in the elite women's contest, Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia outstripped her own women-only record, finishing in two hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds. Meanwhile, the men's wheelchair race saw Swiss athlete Marcel Hug match the eight London Marathon wins of Britain's David Weir, with six consecutive golds at this iconic event.

Elite athletes were far from being the only record breakers. The 2026 marathon kicked off with 66,393 runners of 173 diverse nationalities, with ages stretching from 18 to 88. In total, 59,830 participants successfully concluded the race, establishing another world record.

The overwhelming majority of runners fundraise in aid of a particular cause, but although most are relieved simply to finish, others set themselves a further, more daunting challenge. Simon Fannon completed the route while knitting, raising funds for Huntingdon's disease. After casting on at the starting line, six hours on, he'd knitted a 5.59-metre-long scarf and earned himself a place in the Guinness World Records.

Accomplishing an even more impressive feat was Jordan Adams, who lugged a 25-kilogram fridge the length of the race, spurred on by the desire to raise both awareness and funds for frontotemporal dementia, a condition which took his mother prematurely, and for which he himself is a gene carrier.

Promising to hit nearly £90 million, the final sum raised by the 2026 London Marathon has already exceeded previous records and will bring the total amount amassed since the race's inception to a mammoth £1.4 billion. And next year's event appears destined to keep going in the same astounding direction. With 1,133,813 people having already entered into the ballot for available places, discussions regarding a two-day event are currently underway, which means more marathoners could participate.