TCS London Marathon extends record as biggest marathon ever with over 59,000 runners
They've only gone and done it again!
The TCS London Marathon has reclaimed the record for largest number of finishers in a marathon beating New York Marathon's previous record of 59,226 finishers.
In a remarkable feat, 59,830 runners flooded the streets of London and successfully crossed the coveted finish line at St James’ Park.
Image credit: TCS London Marathon
To celebrate this momentous occasion, runners who were part of the TCS London Marathon 2026 can head to the GWR store and claim a special edition of our Record Participation Certificate.
The CEO of London Marathon Events, Hugh Brasher, said: "Sporting and marathon history was set at the 2026 TCS London Marathon, where Sebastian Sawe and Jomif Kejelcha became the first athletes ever to run a sub-two-hour marathon under official race conditions and for the first time ever three women ran under 2 hours and 16 minutes in one race. To then break the record of the largest number of finishers in the history of marathons underlines the inspirational nature of the TCS London Marathon. We are incredibly proud to have set a new Guinness World Records title".
He continued with "Our mission as a company is to inspire activity – and entries for the 2027 TCS London Marathon Ballot are open at tcslondonmarathon2027.com".
The TCS London Marathon is considered one of the world’s greatest sporting events and is part of the original six World Marathon Majors.
The annual marathon has already proved themselves to be the most popular, achieving the title for the most ballot entries for a marathon event.
Image credit: TCS London Marathon
In April 2024, an astonishing 1,133,813 people applied via the public ballot for the chance to run in the 2025 edition!
No surprises then, that the marathon is also known for its addicting, and electrifying atmosphere, drawing huge crowds every year.
After all, where else would you find pro-runners pounding the pavement alongside a runner dressed in a Big Ben costume?
Runners in costume at the TCS London Marathon 2026
It was a bright and early start for participants who gathered at the start line in Blackheath Greenwich, ready to put months of training into practice.
Runners from all sporting experiences took up the 42-km challenge, with the route passing through the capital’s most iconic landmarks from Cutty Sark, past Tower Bridge and into Central London.
Sabastian Sawe with Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford
As part of Guinness World Records’ long-running partnership with the TCS London Marathon, attendees had the opportunity to once again, add a personal achievement to their belt.
This year saw 75 marathon runners testing their stamina skills in the hopes of becoming a Guinness World Records title holder.
Sabastian Sawe broke the first record of the day, crossing the iconic finish line with a jaw-dropping finishing time of 1:59:30, an amazing sub two hours thus breaking the world record for the fastest marathon (male).
With this, he also beat Eliud Kipchoge’s fastest marathon distance previous record time of 1:59:40.
Archie Hunt with Guinness World Records Adjudicator Becki Ward
The varying costumes ranged from an academic, a cartoon character and even a full-body inflatable costume!
Out of these 75 runners, 39 made history and the event concluded with 38 new record titles.
Mark McKinley, Director of Central Records Services at Guinness World Records said: “It’s amazing to see the growth of the TCS London Marathon and this record marks the 19th consecutive year of our partnership, a collaboration that continues to offer runners the opportunity to add an extra challenge to their training. Congratulations to all the runners that took part, you are Officially Amazing!”
Whether it is to challenge themselves or spotlight important causes – the event continues to boost fundraising efforts that matter to the participants.
With rumours of London Marathon Events hosting the race over two days next year, we look forward to seeing how the event expands and what records they break!