London Marathon 2025 LIVE: Start time, movie star runners, route, outcomes, newest climate updates and the way to watch

The Supreme Court’s ruling that transgender women are not legally women has managed to find its way into the politics of the marathon.

Race Director Hugh Brasher, whose father Chris co-founded the marathon in 1981, confirmed that those taking part in the mass marathon event would be allowed to self identify as male, female or non-binary.

But, notably – transgender women are not eligible to enter the elite, championship or good-for-age female races, as per rules set by World Athletics.

If you’re in the UK, you will be able to watch the London Marathon live on the BBC – extensive television coverage and online streaming is also available via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

The first races are due to start before 9am – check the timings below to make sure you know when your favourite is kicking off

8.50am – Elite wheelchair men’s and women’s races.

9.05am – Elite women’s race.

9.35am – Elite men’s race followed by mass start.

With some races due to start in less than half an hour, participants are already getting in the spirit and geared up for their 26.2-mile run.

Pictures show them warming up in London parks ahead of the competition.

In 2024, the elite men’s and women’s races and men’s and women’s wheelchair races had a total prize pot of £243,000, with the winners receiving £44,000 each. This year, the prize money is the same.

A number of celebrities have annnounced they will be partaking in this year’s Marathon – some of them fitness fanatics, others slightly new to the game.

They range from singer Alexandra Burke to comedian Romesh Ranganathan.

A record number of people applied to run, with more than 840,000 applications received.

With celebrities backing charities like Teenage Cancer Trust and Diabetes UK, the money raised is likely to be substantial.