London Marathon 2026 Preview: Course, Weather, Predictions, Hot Takes & Two-Day Race 2027 Rumors

London Marathon 2026 Preview: Course, Weather, Predictions, Hot Takes & Two-Day Race 2027 Rumors

From Marathon Handbook Podcast by Marathon Handbook

April 23, 2026 · 1h 30m

About this episode

The episode provides a comprehensive preview of the 2026 TCS London Marathon, discussing the course, weather, and potential future events.

It's London week. Michael Doyle, Alex Cyr and Katelyn Tocci deliver the Marathon Handbook one-stop preview of the 2026 TCS London Marathon: course, elites, weather, the jacket design, shoes, ballot drama, and the looming question of whether London Marathon Events can pull off a two-day "Double London" in 2027. What's in this episode: A brief history of London from the 1981 inaugural race (6,255 finishers) through the 1.3 million applicants now fighting for roughly 60,000 spots. Why the ballot has made London the single hardest World Marathon Major for internationals to enter, and how the charity-bib and running-club routes actually work. A course walkthrough of one of running's great spectacles — the staggered southeast start, the 9:05 elite women's gun, Cutty Sark at mile six, Tower Bridge at the halfway inflection, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, and the jaw-dropping finish down The Mall past Buckingham Palace into St. James's Park. Weather check: a probable high-40s to low-60s°F day, sunnier than ideal but dry and low humidity. The crew think we're lined up for a Boston-style "no excuses" day and some serious times. The 2026 New Balance London kit, a.k.a. the…

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