Runners and schoolchildren target TCS London Marathon finish line

More than 56,000 people are expected to run the TCS London Marathon on Sunday but thousands of schoolchildren will cross the finish line first.

More than 18,000 children and young people have registered to take part in this year’s TCS Mini London Marathon and will run, jog, walk or wheel a one mile or 2.6K route around St James’s Park which finishes on the same finish line on The Mall.

The weather is expected to be warm and dry both days with temperatures up to 22C forecast on Sunday although it will be cooler in the morning.

London could set a new record for the world’s biggest marathon which is currently held by the TCS New York Marathon in November when there were 55,646 finishers.Among those taking part will be David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar, whose daughters Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered in the Southport attack last summer.

They are raising money for projects in memory of their daughters and Bebe King, six, who was also killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July.

Also running will be Eilish McColgan, making her London Marathon debut with the aim of beating the personal best of her athlete mother Liz, who ran 2 hours 26 minutes 52 seconds in 1997.

Britain’s men’s Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee also makes his marathon debut.

The 40th Mini London Marathon will also feature a special wave of past participants who have gone on to sporting success.

Nine-time Paralympic champion and 16-time world champion Hannah Cockroft, three-time Paralympic champion rower Lauren Rowles, and former Great Britain hurdle and relay star Perri Shakes-Drayton are all set to take part.

Also appearing is defending Europe Triathlon Championships gold medallist Non Stanford, who is also a three-time winner of the Mini London Marathon.

Georgia Hunter Bell, the 1,500m bronze medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and Northern Ireland’s Ciara Mageean, who won gold in the 1,500m at the 2024 European Championships, are also expected to attend.

The TCS Mini London Marathon championships give the UK’s most promising young athletes the chance to compete and the international athletics stars who have previously competed include Laura Muir, Keely Hodgkinson and Josh Kerr.

Sir Mo Farah won the Mini Marathon three times.

Ben Cooper, event lead at the TCS Mini London Marathon, said: “The 2025 TCS Mini London Marathon will be a celebration of the past, present and future of this inspirational event.

“We are excited to welcome back some of the amazing athletes and people who have taken part since the first edition in 1986 as part of our 40th edition celebrations while a record number of schoolchildren from across the country will help to make a little bit of history in what will be the biggest ever edition of the event.

“Looking forward, we hope all those taking part this year will be inspired to return in the future and continue enjoying physical activity throughout their lives.”

Graham Cooksey, deputy headteacher at Featherstone Primary School, in Southall, west London, is running the marathon with a place from the Team TCS Teachers initiative.

The school has 25 students running in the mini marathon and he said: “They are absolutely obsessed with the idea, because it’s so close to Buckingham Palace, that Charles will be watching them which is delightful.

“They are excited to be by Buckingham Palace and St James’s Park. They are excited to be in London.

“They are excited to be crossing that marathon arch.”

The TCS Mini London Marathon is being broadcast live for the first time this year on the TCS London Marathon YouTube and Facebook pages.

– Entries are still open for the TCS Mini London Marathon in Schools. Pupils can earn a certificate if they complete two miles at their school before May 2. To register, visit: https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/mini-london-marathon/tcs-mini-london-marathon-schools