When is the London Marathon 2024?

The London Marathon 2024 is set to take place on Sunday 21st April. So lace up your running shoes, get training and read on to find out everything you need to know about this year’s event

Key dates for this year’s marathon

This year’s event is taking place in April. 

Here are some key dates to get in your diary to get prepared: 

• Sunday, April 21st 2024 – the TCS London Marathon takes place 
• Saturday, April 20th, 2024 – the TCS London Mini Marathon (2.6K)

What time does the 2024 marathon start?

The start time for the London marathon 2024 isn’t yet confirmed, but last year the mass start began at 10.00am. 

The 26.2 mile route will begin near Blackheath in Greenwich, passing by London landmarks such as the Cutty Sark, the Shard, Tower Bridge, and past Canary Wharf and the London Eye.There are three different starting points, the blue start, the red start and the green start.

Read more about the London Marathon scheduling.

Elite runners

For the elite runners, they can get round the course a little quicker than the average time. In order to qualify as an elite runner you must have a running time of sub 2:40:00 if you are male and a running time of sub 3:14:00 if you are a woman. 

In 2023, elite men started in the first wave of the mass start. The elite women started around 30 minutes before. 

Wheelchair races

The London Marathon believes in being accessible to all and has a dedicated team on hand to support people with a huge range of disabilities.

For elite wheelchair competitors the qualification time required to enter is 3 hours for both men and women. For everyday applicants there is no time requirement. The wheelchair racers set off in a separate wave before the mass start. In 2023, this was at 9.15am.

When is the London Marathon ballot?

Every year, a number of places for the London Marathon go to ballot for entry. This is a lottery where runners enter and then names get randomly drawn out for a spot. It’s free to enter the ballot – if you win a place in the marathon, then you pay the entry fee. Then, once you know you have secured a space you can start a GoFundMe and get fundraising.

There are strict dates around entering the ballot. The ballot for The London Marathon 2024 closed in April 2023 and successful applicants were notified of their places in July. 

The ballot for the 2025 London Marathon has not yet taken place – it usually opens in April. There’s more information on how to enter the London Marathon here.

Where and when the TCS London Marathon 2024 takes place

The London Marathon 2024 is on Sunday 21st April – and there’s still time to start a fundraiser if you haven’t already. The mass start is usually at about 9:30am-10:00am – and you’ll see thousands of runners lined up at the Blackheath startline ready to go. We’ve got a handy guide on the London Marathon here, too.

Start your London Marathon fundraising today

You can enter the London Marathon in a variety of ways – the two most common being by ballot or by charity entry. There are also other ways including through a club affiliated with British Athletics or through a tour operator if you live outside of the UK.

Once you’ve got your place, you can fundraise for any cause of your choice.