London Marathon 2025: When is the Race?

The London Marathon 2025 is set to take place on Sunday 2t7th 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 27th 2025 – the TCS London Marathon takes place 
• Saturday, April 26th, 2025 – the TCS London Mini Marathon (2.6K)

What time does the 2025 marathon start?

The start time for the London marathon 2025 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 2025 closed in April 2024 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 2025 takes place

The London Marathon 2025 is on Sunday 27th 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

If you’ve secured a place in the London Marathon 2025 – or maybe are thinking of entering the 2026 race – there are some timeless and important tips you can take away with you for your fundraising and beyond. It’s important to shout about your fundraising efforts but also remain safe when you’re training for a marathon. It’s a big undertaking and not something to be taken lightly – but don’t fear, even amateur runners can build up their fitness if they consult a proper training plan.

Start your GoFundMe

So, you’ve secured your place in the London Marathon. Running a marathon is a brilliant opportunity to do some fundraising – you can really make the most of the amazing feat you’re about to pull off! It’s easy to start a GoFundMe for that good cause. On GoFundMe you can fundraise for any registered charity and the funds go directly to them, too. To start your fundraiser you just need a title, to write your fundraising story and to have a target in mind. This can be changed at any time.

Share your fundraiser

An important part of any fundraising journey is to shout about your fundraiser. Get sharing it on social media when it’s started and also keep posting whenever you have an update – whether it’s meeting a fundraising goal or a certain stage in your training plan. You can post pictures in your updates too.

Thank your donors

You can thank your donors through GoFundMe, but also sending personalised thanks through email, text or letter is sure to be appreciated. Let your donors know what stage of training you’re up to and what their donation means to you. You can have a look at our email templates to give thanks here too if you need inspiration.

Train safely

Even if you’re a seasoned runner, doing a marathon is a big undertaking. Make sure that you get proper advice on training plans and take enough time to prep to do the marathon. It’s important to have appropriate running gear and nutrition on the day too – don’t take it lightly! It’s possible for even inexperienced runners to train for a marathon, so don’t fear but keep yourself safe.

If you or someone you love is running the London Marathon, why not consider starting a GoFundMe so your supporters can sponsor your charity run? That way you can make your accomplishments stretch even further in aid of a cause that’s important to you.

If you need some help getting started, we have fundraising tips which offer support every step of the way.