London Marathon course guide: Greenwich to The Mall

London Marathon 2027: date, start, entry

For 2027 only, the TCS London Marathon becomes a two-day event called the Double, on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027. Both days use the same route, starting around Greenwich and Blackheath and finishing on The Mall. Each runner takes part on one day only.

Entry routes include the public ballot, charity places, Good For Age, Championship, British Athletics club places, international tour operators and places for participants with disabilities. The 2027 ballot ran from 24 April to 1 May 2026, results were sent on 9 July 2026, and it will not reopen.

Published ballot entry fees: £79.99 for UK runners, or £49.99 for those who chose to donate their fee when they entered the ballot, and £275 for international runners, which includes a carbon offset fee for international travel.

Official website: www.tcslondonmarathon.com

Checked on 8 November 2026 against the official race website; confirm details there before you enter.

The course

Runners set off from three starts around Blackheath, including one in Greenwich Park, and the routes merge just before Mile 3 in Woolwich. The course turns west through Charlton, Greenwich and Deptford, loops round the Cutty Sark between Miles 6 and 7, then runs through Rotherhithe and Bermondsey to cross Tower Bridge at about halfway.

The second half heads east through Wapping and Limehouse to Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs, then comes back past the Tower of London and along the Embankment. The final stretch passes Big Ben and turns at Buckingham Palace onto The Mall for the finish.

The course is largely flat, with a small net drop and a short incline just before Tower Bridge. On our map the line covers about 42.5 km with roughly 113 m of climbing.

What London is known for

Charity is at the heart of the race: runners have raised more than £1.4 billion since the first London Marathon. The crowds are famous too, especially round the Cutty Sark and on Tower Bridge.

Running it

• Check which of the three starts you are in and plan your journey there in advance.
• Enjoy Tower Bridge, but keep your pace in check: the loop out to Canary Wharf and back is still to come.
• Save something for the Embankment and the final turn at Buckingham Palace onto The Mall.

Frame your London finish

The London Marathon is available as a framed 3D map: the real terrain of the city printed in relief, with the course raised in colour. Add your name, date and finish time and we work out your pace. If you ran with a GPS watch, upload your GPX and we print your exact line.