Your last minute race advice for London

Ready to write your own story? Here’s your guide, covering everything from the London route to the crowd support en route.

1. Prepare for any weather

We all know the score with the great British weather – it can do anything. Late April is spring in London, and the race has seen every type of weather conditions over the year, from wet and windy to heatwaves. Check the weather forecast in advance and be prepared to bring a throwaway layer to keep you warm at the start.

2. Balance your time before the race

There are loads of race pop-ups and activities before the marathon, from brand events to shake-out runs. Try not to get too carried away doing everything before race day – pick and choose what you’re most interested in, and try to enjoy some time with your feet up, too.

Ben says: “In the days leading up to the marathon, make sure you protect your energy and don't overdo it (unlike me, who did multiple shakeout runs - not sensible, aha!), but also balance it with getting involved with events, especially if it's your first marathon - have fun!”

3. Know your start wave and where it is

There are multiple start waves in London, and each one has a slightly different starting location. That means you can’t just stumble off the tube and follow the runner in front of you, as they may be heading to a different start pen. Check and double-check your race pack and bib to see where you need to go.

4. Be prepared to wait

You might be waiting in your start pen for a while. Get in the toilet queue early, bring a snack, and make sure your headphones have enough juice to keep you entertained for a while. You may want to practice some mindset techniques for getting in the zone – the key is to be ready for the wait.

Ben says: “Be prepared to wait around at the start line – because it's such a big race, you could be in your pen for a good hour or even more, so make sure you've got something warm to wear and something to eat (even bring some toilet roll—always essential!).”

5. Use the official kitbag

You’ll want to pack a snack and something warm for after the race, but note that only official London kitbags will be accepted on the baggage lorries. You’ll receive this when you pick up your race number.

6. Don’t trust your watch

London is a busy city with lots of tall buildings, and GPS notoriously goes wonky around Canary Wharf. So if your watch suddenly says you’re going much faster or slower than planned, don’t panic! Your GPS distance might also read slightly long as you weave through the crowds, so always use the race markers as guidance.

Ben says: “I personally find the GPS can be a little off, particularly in the Canary Wharf Area - so I usually will manually lap my watch every 5k to eliminate the guesswork!”

7. Don’t go off too fast

The race in London is incredibly busy, and it’s easy to get carried away with the excitement. Before you know it, you’ve run the first 5k way faster than planned, and you’re starting to panic… A slight negative split is usually the best way to approach this race, but you’ll also want to go into it with a flexible mindset, as Ben says.

“When I ran London, I paced for even splits, given the course profile doesn't change too much. But that being said, the last time I raced it was a very warm day so I wished I'd gone off a little more conservatively, so it might be best to approach the race with an open mind and adjust your pacing strategy based on how you feel on the day.”

8. Look up and enjoy the sights

The London race eaves its way past some of the most iconic sights in the city. Forget about staring at your feet – look up and soak it all in! You’ll run past Cutty Sark early in the race (around mile six), and at around the halfway mark, you’ll run across Tower Bridge. Towards the end of the race, there’s Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament before finishing on The Mall, located in St James's Park directly in front of Buckingham Palace. Don’t forget to smile for the photographers who are always snapping epic photos in front of these iconic landmarks.

Ben says: “Once you get to Big Ben, you KNOW you're nearly there! That's a stand-out highlight for me!”