2026 - London's best ever marathon?

The fastest ever London Marathon - 11th May 2026

The 2026 London Marathon has been a special year for world records.

Sabastian Sawe finished first in under two hours: one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. The Kenyan runner ran one minute faster than the previous record.

This was just one of many new records for this year's marathon. In the women's race, there was the Ethiopian athlete Tigst Assefa. She managed to break the women-only world record. She completed the race in two hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.

But athletes weren't the only record breakers. This year's marathon began with 66,393 runners. They came from 173 different countries and were aged between 18 and 88. As 59,830 people actually crossed the finish line, another record was broken.

Most runners take part to raise money for their favourite charity. Sometimes, running isn't enough. Simon Fannon knitted a long scarf while he was running. He ran for a charity for Huntingdon's disease.

Runner Jordan Adams carried a 25-kilogram fridge! He had a very personal reason for running. His mother died of dementia, and so he was raising money for that disease.

This year's marathon has raised nearly £90 million, which is another first. And over a million people have already registered for the 2027 race.