TCS London Marathon

Heathrow is the main hub: Elizabeth line (Crossrail) runs to Paddington in 35 minutes and Liverpool Street in 52 minutes (£12.80). City Airport (LCY) is the most convenient for East London — DLR to Bank takes 22 minutes (£5.20). Stansted is 55 minutes by Stansted Express to Liverpool Street (£20). An Oyster card or contactless bank card works on all London transport.

💡 Tap in and out with a contactless bank card for the best fare (daily cap applies). Loading an Oyster card at the airport also works but requires a £5 deposit.

Southwark (SE1) is the recommended base: a short walk to London Bridge station (DLR and Jubilee Line to ExCeL Expo, Overground to Greenwich for the start). Borough Market is on your doorstep. City of London hotels on Upper Thames Street or near Monument are also excellent — close to Tower Bridge and halfway into the race. Both have dense restaurant choices for carb-loading.

💡 London Marathon weekend has the highest hotel occupancy of London's spring calendar. Book 8–12 months ahead. Premier Inn and Travelodge near London Bridge fill fastest — budget runners book these a year out.

MANDATORY bib and chip collection — no same-day race-morning pickup. The Expo is held at ExCeL London in the Royal Docks. From London Bridge, take the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf, then DLR to Custom House for ExCeL (or DLR direct from Bank to Custom House — 25 min). Bring your registration confirmation and photo ID. Collect your bib number, timing tag, official bag, and T-shirt. The ExCeL Expo spans two halls — running brands, sports nutrition, and the extensive official merchandise shop.

💡 Friday is the quietest Expo day. Saturday afternoon is busiest. If you arrive on Saturday, go to the Expo first thing in the afternoon — queues at official merchandise shops run over 30 minutes later in the day.

Walk to Tower Bridge from Southwark hotel (10–15 min). Cross the bridge and back — this is the exact halfway point of tomorrow's race. Standing on Tower Bridge on race eve, knowing you will cross it again amid 50,000 runners and thousands of screaming spectators, is one of marathon running's special moments. Cross in 15 minutes total.

💡 The Tower Bridge crossing on race day (approximately km 21–22) is on the elevated upper road walkway section, visible from both shores. Arrive at this section with the energy to look up and appreciate it.

Southwark and Borough Market area have several excellent pasta and Italian restaurants. Padella (Borough Market) does outstanding handmade pappardelle and cacio e pepe — queue early as they do not take reservations and marathon weekend queues are long. Alternatively, Canteen on Market Porter Street or Zucca on Bermondsey Street are reliable. Order a large pasta main with bread. One beer is fine; a pint is generous; two pints is inadvisable.

💡 Padella opens at 17:00 and the queue forms at 16:30 on marathon Saturday. Arrive at 16:45 for a realistic 40-min wait. Worth it.

Wake by 05:30. Eat by 06:00: plain porridge with honey and a banana, white toast with peanut butter, or a plain bagel. Avoid high-fibre (wholemeal bread, bran), dairy, and anything unfamiliar. Most Southwark hotels open breakfast at 06:30 — request an early room delivery tray the evening before. Drink 500ml of water.

💡 Buy a banana and oat bars from a Tesco Express or Sainsbury's Local the evening before — open from 07:00 but you need food earlier than that on race morning.

Take the Overground from London Bridge to Blackheath (25 min) or DLR to Greenwich (20 min from Bank). The race starts at Blackheath (Green Start and Blue Start) and Greenwich Park (Red Start). All three converge on the course by Mile 3. Bag drop lorries are at the start area — closes at 08:00. Enter your colour corral by 08:45. The mass start gun fires at 09:00 (Wave 1); elite women start earlier at 09:17. Allow 90 minutes for the full start area process.

💡 Trains to Blackheath are packed from 06:45 — get on an earlier train. Marathon-specific Southeastern services run from Waterloo East, Charing Cross, and London Bridge.

Course departs Blackheath/Greenwich Park, runs north through Woolwich, Deptford, and Bermondsey to Tower Bridge (km 21 — the iconic crossing), into the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf (km 22–25), back west along the Embankment (km 26–37), through Blackfriars, Victoria Embankment, Westminster Bridge, and finishing on The Mall (km 42, in front of Buckingham Palace). The course is flat throughout with only minor undulations. October temperature: April average 11–16°C — ideal running conditions. Aid stations every mile; gels at miles 13, 18, and 22.

💡 The Canary Wharf tunnel (km 23–24) is brief but dark and echoing — the crowd noise inside is extraordinary. Tower Bridge at km 21 is the emotional peak of the race — run it with your head up.

Collect your finisher's medal (one of the heaviest and most beautiful in world marathoning — a large, embossed gold piece), space blanket, finisher's T-shirt, and food pack. Bag retrieval lorries are in St James's Park — the walk to them is about 400m. Family meeting zones are in St James's Park organised by surname initial. The Mall from Buckingham Palace is a quintessential London backdrop for finish photos.

💡 The Tube is free for London Marathon runners on race day (show your finisher medal). However, St James's Park, Green Park, and Victoria Tube stations are all packed — consider walking to Westminster or Embankment for a quieter entry point.

Return to the Southwark area for a calm recovery dinner. Roast on Borough Market (open Sunday evenings) is perfect: roast chicken and potatoes, warm and nourishing. Alternatively, The Ivy Market Grill (Covent Garden, 20-min taxi) offers a reliable post-race menu with pasta, fish, and protein options. Avoid alcohol; drink coconut water or a non-alcoholic beer (alcohol is the most common runner's mistake after a marathon).

💡 Order a large portion of roast potatoes alongside your protein — your glycogen stores are entirely depleted. Chips are also appropriate. This is not a diet day.

Borough Market (open Thursday–Saturday year-round; Monday–Saturday in spring) is London's finest food market and a 5-minute walk from a Southwark hotel. Browse the cheese stalls, olive oil vendors, and bread bakers; have a coffee and a fresh pastry at Monmouth Coffee Company (nearby on Park Street). Total walking: 1.5 km at an easy pace.

💡 Borough Market is open Saturday but closed Sunday. If your recovery is Monday, the nearest equivalent is Bermondsey Street's shops and Flat Iron Square food stalls.

A 5-minute walk from Borough Market along the Southbank, the Tate Modern is free entry to its permanent collection. The flat gallery floors on the Turbine Hall level are easy on post-race legs. The Level 10 viewing platform has outstanding Thames and St Paul's views. Allow 90 minutes.

💡 The Tate Modern is closed on Mondays except during school holidays. Check in advance.

Cross the Millennium Bridge (the famous wobbly bridge — now stable) from the Tate Modern to St Paul's Cathedral (10-min walk). The view from mid-bridge is one of London's best. St Paul's can be viewed from outside if entry costs (£25) feel excessive post-race. The City streets around St Paul's are quiet on Sunday afternoons.

Allow 3 hours from Southwark to Heathrow (Elizabeth line from Farringdon or Paddington, 35 min from Paddington). City Airport from London Bridge: DLR to Pontoon Dock or Cyprus, 25 min. Stansted Express from Liverpool Street, 55 min. Rideshare from Southwark to Heathrow is £50–70 and very comfortable post-race.

💡 If flying LHR, consider the Elizabeth line from Farringdon (one stop from Borough on the Thameslink) — faster than going into central London to board.

Heathrow Terminals 2, 3, and 5 have an excellent range of airside dining: Wagamama (noodle bowls, excellent recovery food), Dishoom (Indian — the Heathrow T2 branch is genuinely good), and Gordon Ramsay's Plane Food in T5 for something more special. City Airport has a small but decent selection in the departure lounge.