In Pictures: Blisters, sweat and tears for London marathon runners

Some ran, some walked, many suffered blisters and chafing, but tens of thousands of people completed the 2026 TCS London Marathon in ideal race conditions on Sunday.

As the course wended its way from Greenwich, in east London, past landmarks including the Cutty Sark and Tower Bridge, the runners paced themselves over 26.2 miles to the finish line on The Mall.

Runners raised money for charity, with some going the extra mile in fancy dress (Ben Whitely/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Whitley

A giant telephone raised awareness of the Samaritans lifeline service (Ben Whitely/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Whitley

A runner crossing Tower Bridge in a cardboard VW costume (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

A child lies on the glass floor of Tower Bridge as runners cross underneath (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

In the elite races, Sabastian Sawe smashed the world record and became the first man to break the two-hour barrier in an official competition to win in one hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds.

There was also a new standard set in the women’s race, won by Tigst Assefa, who defended her London Marathon crown in a women’s-only world record two hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.

Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s elite race in a world-record time (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

Eilish McColgan was the fastest British woman, finishing seventh in front of Buckingham Palace in two hours, 24 minutes and 51 seconds (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

Marcel Hug after crossing the finish line to win the men’s wheelchair race (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

Celebrities also took part, including children’s TV character Daddy Pig, with fitness expert Joe Wicks running alongside the Peppa Pig patriarch as his official trainer.

Joe Wicks and Daddy Pig ran as training partners (Ben Whitley/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Whitley

Olympic champion runner Mo Farah handed out bottles of water on The Embankment (Jas Lehal Media Assignments/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jas Lehal Media Assignments

Runners round Cutty Sark (Ben Whiteley/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Whitley

A boat passes under Tower Bridge as crowds line the race route (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

Police watch the wheelchair racers on Sunday morning (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady