London Marathon 2024: Start time, route, weather forecast, tracker app, fastest times, past winners

The 44th edition of the annual London Marathon gets underway on Sunday, April 21 2024, and while there's plenty of anticipation in the air ahead of one of the UK's biggest sporting events, this year's race will be under something of a cloud. 

2023's mens champion Kelvin Kiptum smashed his fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge's previous record by over a minute last year, but on February 11, 2024, the 24-year-old was tragically killed in a car accident near Kaptagat in his home country. 

Kiptum had only months previously broken the world record for the fastest marathon ever run, completing October 2023's Chicago Marathon in just two hours and 35 seconds. Whoever is the victor of this year's London Marathon, they will no doubt pay tribute to the man who had revolutionised the long-distance running scene for both Kenya and the sport as a whole.

There were a total of 578,374 people in the ballot to run this year's race, the most of any marathon on record, and veteran Eliud Kipchoge, a four-time winner of the event, could well make a return having not competed in London since 2020. 

In the women's race, 5000m and 10000m Olympic champion Sifan Hassan made a perfect transition from the track to the road last year, winning the marathon with a time of 2:18.33, and could become only the seventh woman to win back-to-back races; and first since Kenya's Brigid Kosgei in 2019 and 2020. 

If you're planning on either watching the action live or catching up with all the celebrity cameos and comedy costumes set to feature in this year's race, The Sporting News has all the details you'll need for the 2024 London Marathon. 

When is the London Marathon 2024?

• Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024
• Time: 9:05 a.m. local time (BST)
• TV: BBC One
• Live stream: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website

London Marathon 2024 start times

The London Marathon races have staggered start times with the men's and women's wheelchair races starting from 9:05 a.m. The elite women's race (9:25 a.m.) and elite men's race and mass start (10:00 a.m.) follow on from there.

MORE: 2024 Boston Marathon winners list after record-breaking race event

London Marathon 2024 route

Being far from an "easy" route, the London Marathon's 42.2km course is mostly flat across the streets and sights of the UK's capital city, and designed to give participants the best opportunity to achieve a personal-best time.

The route begins at Greenwich Park on the southern side of the River Thomas, before crossing Tower Bridge and passing the Tower of London. Big Ben and the London Eye are some of the several famous landmarks runners pass and viewers can spot from the comfort of their living rooms.

Finally, the path along the banks of the Thames sends the 50,000 participants along the path of The Mall towards the finish line just, down the road from Buckingham Palace, where the many of the elite participants will be hoping to break personal — and maybe even world — records!

London Marathon 2024 weather forecast

The participants running in this year's marathon will be doing so amidst fairly cool and calm weather conditions, with temperatures only set to break into double figures towards the latter stages of the race at midday. 

The current forecast implies we're set for a cloudy day in the capital, with temperatures slowly rising from 7 to 11 degrees celsius, and any chance of sunshine looking limited until the early evening. There is currently a 10% chance of rain throughout most of the day.

Is there a London Marathon tracker app?

Runners may be using their Apple Watches or Fitbits, or using popular running apps such as Strava to check their progress as they take on the gruelling challenge.

There is, though, also an official TCS London Marathon App where runners can track their distance, follow other participants, listen to soundtracks, post selfies to social media, and find tips for taking on the course.

You don't need to be a participant either, those watching at home or on the streets can use the app to track the progress of friends and family or keep an eye on how the elite races are panning out. 

Users can download the app to their smartphone devices on the official London Marathon website and then search the names of runners or their name to be able to track them.

What is the fastest time in the London Marathon?

Four-time winner Kipchoge saw his record London Marathon race time of 2:02:37, set back in 2019, beaten by over a minute by Kiptum in 2023, with the late 24-year-old smashing the previous best to cross the finish line in just 2:01:25. 

Mary Keitany (2:17:01) holds the record for the women's course, set back in 2017, with 2023 winner Sifan Hassan over a minute behind that time (2:18:33). Britain's Paula Radcliffe has the fasted mixed marathon time of 2:15:25 from 2003.

Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner were already the respective record holders in the men's and women's wheelchair races, but Hug smashed his 2022 time last year, finishing in 1:23:44, and will be looking to go one one better in 2024.

List of past London Marathon winners

Men's

Women's