The London Marathon is a world-famous event that attracts runners from all over the globe. This year, the marathon is scheduled for the fall season and will take place along the Thames River.

London Marathon 2022

The London Marathon, conducted on a very flat and fast course along the Thames River in the heart of the British city, is the next marathon scheduled for the 2022 fall marathon season. On October 2, 2018, about 41,000 participants, including hundreds in costume, will begin the 42nd annual race.

There are only six “World Marathon Majors,” and the London Marathon is one of them and a major competition for novices and experts alike. Over the course of the years preceding the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, the event has been hosted in the spring for all of its 39 previous editions. This year’s London Marathon will be held in the fall, but in 2023 it will return to its traditional late-April date (April 23), just six days after the Boston Marathon.

There have been seven attempts at breaking the world record in the London Marathon, the most recent being Mary Keitany’s in 2017 (2:17:01) for races with a distinct women’s start. In 2003, Paula Radcliffe set the women’s overall record, which has since been beaten (2:15:25). In 2002, Moroccan-American Khalid Khannouchi, the last American runner to hold a marathon world record, ran 2:05:38 in London.

Fast racers donning elaborate outfits have become a trademark of the London Marathon. The London Marathon is the only marathon where record-setting costumed runners have occurred at a significant rate. In 2021, for instance, 30 new records were established; one of them was set by Julian Rendall, who ran a mile in his pajamas in 2:51:4. Peter Butler-Jones ran a marathon in a pair of Wellington boots and set a new world record of 2:56:28; Kristina Kucar ran a marathon while shackled (3:15:53).

How can I watch the London Marathon online?

Live coverage of the 2022 TCS London Marathon will be available to viewers in 198 countries. It will be broadcast live by Flotrack in the United States, but a subscription is required to see it. (The Flotrack feed is available for streaming and casting on a wide variety of devices, including desktops, mobile devices, TVs, and streaming media players like Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Apple TV.)

Depending on your ISP, you may also be able to stream it on Watch Athletics, BBC1, or FuboTV. You can also keep up with everything that’s going on via Twitter and Instagram, in addition to the official TikTok for the TCS London Marathon on Facebook (@LondonMarathon).

Getting Acquainted with the London Marathon

Having started in 1981, the London Marathon has followed a course that takes in several of the city’s most iconic sites. Marathon runners will set out from Greenwich Park and make their way through the streets of London. It starts out slightly hilly to the southeast of the city but dips around 150 feet before the 4-mile mark near Woolrich and is essentially flat from there until a tiny incline starts up around the 19.5-mile mark.

Rotherhithe is negotiated, and then the route crosses the Thames at Tower Bridge before continuing on to Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs. After passing the Tower of London, London Bridge, Blackfriars, and Big Ben, runners will turn up towards Buckingham Palace and the finish line on The Mall, located on the north bank of the river.

Related: Berlin Marathon 2022: Everything You Need To Know!

Who Among the Pros Will Be Competing in the London Marathon?

There is no clear women’s favorite in this year’s London Marathon because the previous record holder, Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04), withdrew at the last minute due to a hamstring injury. There are just 16 female runners in the elite group, but seven of them have PRs faster than 2:19, putting Mary Keitany’s all-World women’s Athletics record of 2:17:01 at risk. This year’s race is worth $313,000, with $55,000 going to both the men’s and women’s winners.

Last year’s winner, Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, not only ran nearly identical first- and second-half times of 1:08:51 and 1:08:52 but also blew past the competition with a 4:56 final mile. Judith Jeptum Korir, 26, will be competing in London merely 76 days after capturing the silver medal in the marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on July 18. She ran a time of 2:18:20.

Many more Ethiopians have run sub-2:19, including Yalemzerf Yehualaw (2:17:23), Ashete Bekere (2:17:58), Sutume Asefa Kebede (2:18:12), and Alemu Megertu (2:18:51), and Hiwot Gebrekidan (2:18:52). (2:19:10). Besides Joan Chelimo Melly (2:18:04 PR), who previously competed for Kenya but now represents Romania, there is only one other sub-2:19 contender. Charlotte Purdue (2:23:26), Steph Twell (2:26:40), and Rose Harvey (2:27:20) are the top British women entered in Sunday’s race, while Marci Klimek (2:30:48), a 35-year-old runner from Talent, Oregon who trains for Cascadia Elite, is the lone American racer in the women’s elite field. In the fall of last year, she placed sixth at the California International Marathon (2:30:48).

Ethiopia’s Sisay Lemma, who won the 2016 London Marathon in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 1 second after 21 previous attempts, is the clear favorite among the men. Bashir Abdi of Belgium won bronze at the Toyko Olympics and holds the European record with a time of 2:03:36; he will be competing against fellow Ethiopian Birhanu Legese, the third-fastest man in history.

But if Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, who has already had a legendary career, can put together one final great performance, it might be the most interesting part of the men’s race. Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele set a new world record of 2:01:41 to win the Berlin Marathon in 2019. He also holds the records for the 5,000 and 10,000 meters on the track and has won the World Cross Country Championships a record 11 times. The three-time Olympic track runner is now 40 and racing as a master.

When does the starting gun go off?

The London Marathon’s 9:40 a.m. local time, 2022 citizen wave start time. Start times are as follows: 8:50 a.m. for the elite men’s and women’s wheelchair races, 9 a.m. for the elite women’s race, 9:40 a.m. for the elite men’s race, and 9:40 a.m. for the mass start.

If you’re in the United States and you want to follow the race or monitor a runner in real-time, keep in mind that 8:50 a.m. Western European Summer Time is 3:50 a.m. Eastern Time and 12:50 a.m. Pacific Time.

Keeping Tabs on the London Marathon Participants

Do you wish to follow a buddy who is participating in the London Marathon? Do you wish to follow the leading experts? If you have an iOS or Android device, you may download the official TCS London Marathon app, enter the runners’ names, and then follow their progress during the race with real-time GPS tracking and split times.

Who do I contact about entering the London Marathon for the following year?

On October 1, 2022, participants can begin signing up for the 2023 TCS London Marathon. Please check back soon, as additional information regarding the 2023 race will be provided on the official website. It’s a challenging race to enter, and it costs $156 to do so from outside the United States. Unlike UK citizens, international participants must register in a somewhat different way. Thus signing up through an official tour operator is strongly recommended.