London Marathon 2026: Race Report by Martin Davey

London did not go the way I’d hoped. I crossed the line in 4:19:40, a long way off my target of 3:44:40. By mile six I already knew it wasn’t going to be my day — I felt drained, heavy‑legged, and as if I’d somehow skipped straight to mile twenty‑two. That realisation is horrible. Suddenly the whole thing becomes a mental battle. Stopping would have been easy. Making excuses would have been even easier.

But two things kept me going. First: I’d spent a small fortune at the Expo, and the rule is simple — you don’t wear kit you haven’t earned. Second: I didn’t want to let the brilliant people at Cleobury Running Club down. So I kept moving.

And despite everything, it was still an incredible day. The crowds were enormous — around 750,000 people lining the streets — and the signs were top‑tier comedy. “Has anyone seen my husband?”, “Run faster if you want Spurs relegated” (sorry Andie), and my personal favourite: “If you collapse, I’ll pause your Garmin.” They genuinely helped. I also saw the bloke carrying a fridge, a man in a full suit and shoes breezed past me, and someone dressed as a bird who did the same. Humbling.

The medal was absolutely worth it, even if I did immediately throw up all over it at Charing Cross Station — not quite the memento I had in mind.

It was, in fact, a Guinness World Record year: 59,830 finishers, the most ever in a marathon. And on the same day, Sebastian Sawe broke the two‑hour barrier with an astonishing 1:59:30.

The truth is simple: marathons are hard. Really hard. Some days everything clicks, and some days it just doesn’t. Hopefully I haven’t put you off — your good run is out there waiting. And as for me… I’ve already entered London 2027 (along with 1,338,543 other optimists). Bring it on.