London Marathon: How to watch, date, time, route and previous winners

The London Marathon is one of the biggest road races in the world and will return for the 2025 edition, which will be the 45th running of the event.

Founded by Olympic champion and journalist Chris Brasher and athlete John Disley in 1981, the London Marathon is the second largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle.

The elite race has been part of the World Marathon Majors, which includes six of the world's top level marathon races, since 2006 and the world marathon record has been broken in this race seven times.

London Marathon Date

The 2025 London Marathon is set to take place on Sunday 27th April 2025.

London Marathon Time

The start times for the 2025 London Marathon are yet to be announced, although following the usual format the elite wheelchair races for men and women are up first, before the elite women's race goes off shortly after, followed finally by the men's elite race.

The mass participation event, which includes experienced club runners and other members of the public, will start in staggered time slots yet to be determined.

2025 London Marathon Route

The London Marathon takes place in England's capital city, with the inaugural edition being held on 29th March 1981.

Measuring a gruelling 26.219 miles, the course begins at three separate points around Blackheath. There is the 'red start' in southern Greenwich Park on Charlton Way, the 'green start' in St John's Park and the 'blue start' on Shooter's Hill Road.

After 2.8 miles, the three courses converge in Woolwich, close to the Royal Artillery Barracks, with the field then taking in many of London' s famous landmarks alongside the River Thames, passing mile checkpoints on the way.

Some of the Landmarks include Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and the Embankment, while the runners go up The Mall before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

The final section of this route formed part of the 2012 Olympic Marathon course.

London Marathon Previous Winners

The very first men's race back in 1981 ended in a tie for first between American Dick Beardsley and Norwegian Inge Simonsen, the duo crossing the finish line in 2:11:48.

England's Joyce Smith claimed the spoils in the women's race that year, posting a time of 2:29:57, before then successfully defending the title the following year.

The first wheelchair race took place in 1983, with Gordon Perry winning the men's event and Denise Smith landing top honours in the female race.

Kenya hold the record for the most victories by nationality for both men and women, clinching 17 and 14 wins respectively, while the United Kingdom lead the way in the wheelchair with 16 in the men's and 15 in the women's.

Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge holds the record for the most London Marathon wins in the men's event with four, having crossed the finish line first in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019.

Norway's Ingrid Kristiansen leads the way for wins in the women's race, having also picked up four successes in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.

In the men's wheelchair, David Weir has won the race a record eight times, the last of those successes coming in 2018, while Tanni Grey-Thompson leads the way in the women's with her sixth triumph recorded in 2002.

Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum holds the elite course record, clocking a 2:01:25 on his way to glory in 2023, while Paula Radcliffe's time of 2:15:25 from 2003 is yet to be beaten in the women's race.

Marcel Hug set a new course record in 2023 in the men's wheelchair, with a 1:23:44, while Catherine Debrunner's 2022 time of 1:38:24 leads the women's wheelchair time.

Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.