London Marathon: Pacing & Race-Day Strategy
Flat, fast, and famous for huge crowds and world records.
- Where:
- London, United Kingdom
- When:
- April
- Course:
- Flat · fast · loop
- Best run as:
- Negative split
Course & elevation
London is flat and fast, with a downhill nudge in the first few miles and no significant climbs. The separate start lines merge by mile 3, and the course winds past Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge near halfway, Canary Wharf, and finishes on The Mall.
Key moments
- Mile 3The three start lines converge — crowded; be patient finding space.
- Mile 12.5Tower Bridge — iconic and loud; resist the urge to surge.
- Mile 19–22Canary Wharf’s twisting streets can break your rhythm.
- Mile 26Past Big Ben and onto The Mall for the finish.
Pacing strategy
A strong negative-split course. Crowds early can be congested, so don’t panic about a slightly slow first mile — settle in and build through the second half.
Plan your mile splits
Enter your goal time to get a mile-by-mile pacing band for London Marathon. The negative split option is pre-selected to suit this course.
| Mile | Pace | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9:25/mi | 9:25 |
| 2 | 9:24/mi | 18:49 |
| 3 | 9:23/mi | 28:11 |
| 4 | 9:21/mi | 37:33 |
| 5 | 9:20/mi | 46:53 |
| 6 | 9:19/mi | 56:12 |
| 7 | 9:18/mi | 1:05:29 |
| 8 | 9:16/mi | 1:14:45 |
| 9 | 9:15/mi | 1:24:00 |
| 10 | 9:14/mi | 1:33:14 |
| 11 | 9:13/mi | 1:42:27 |
| 12 | 9:11/mi | 1:51:38 |
| 13 | 9:10/mi | 2:00:48 |
| 14 | 9:09/mi | 2:09:57 |
| 15 | 9:07/mi | 2:19:04 |
| 16 | 9:06/mi | 2:28:10 |
| 17 | 9:05/mi | 2:37:15 |
| 18 | 9:04/mi | 2:46:19 |
| 19 | 9:02/mi | 2:55:21 |
| 20 | 9:01/mi | 3:04:23 |
| 21 | 8:60/mi | 3:13:23 |
| 22 | 8:59/mi | 3:22:21 |
| 23 | 8:57/mi | 3:31:19 |
| 24 | 8:56/mi | 3:40:15 |
| 25 | 8:55/mi | 3:49:10 |
| 26 | 8:54/mi | 3:58:03 |
| 26.22 | 8:53/mi | 4:00:00 |
Fueling & hydration
Lucozade Sport and water are offered at regular stations along the course. Take your own gels on a fixed schedule; the flat, crowd-charged miles make it easy to forget to fuel.
Weather
Mild and often damp London spring — typically 45–60°F, occasionally warm.
Train for London Marathon
Build a free, personalized marathon plan that progresses you safely to race day — with paces tuned to your goal.
Create your free plan