London Marathon sets a world record as the largest marathon ever run

On 26 April 2026, the TCS London Marathon became the biggest marathon ever run. A Guinness World Records title was confirmed for the largest number of finishers in a single marathon, with 59,830 runners crossing the line. The figure surpassed the previous record of 59,226 set by the New York City Marathon in November 2025, making London the new benchmark for mass participation in the sport.

The day was historic on the elite front too. Sabastian Sawe and Yomif Kejelcha became the first athletes ever to run a sub-two-hour marathon under official race conditions, a long-sought milestone in distance running. Tigst Assefa defended her title and broke her own women-only world record, with three women finishing under 2 hours 16 minutes for the first time in the sport history.

“A Guinness World Records title was confirmed for the largest number of finishers in a single marathon, with 59,830 runners crossing the line.”

Yet the heart of the record lies not in the front runners but in the tens of thousands behind them. Among the field were dozens of charity runners and Guinness World Record attempts, with 38 titles broken from 71 attempts, including everyday people in costume raising money for causes close to their hearts. Sporting and marathon history was set at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, said London Marathon Events chief executive Hugh Brasher.

The largest-marathon record is, in a sense, a celebration of ordinary people. It reflects a swelling global appetite for endurance, community and personal challenge, with first-timers, fundraisers and lifelong runners all sharing the same streets. In an age of solitary screens, the image of nearly 60,000 people moving together toward a finish line is a reminder of how sport can bring a city, and a community, joyfully into motion.