From F1 champions to stars of the screen – the celebs tackling London Marathon 2026

An incredible array of sports stars and celebrities will be running the TCS London Marathon on Sunday (26 April).

Of course last year saw a sensational marathon debut from the Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee as he clocked 2:11:08 to finish in the top 15 – and he would later go on to run a sensational 2:06:38 in Valencia, the second fastest British time ever.

That record is held by Sir Mo Farah and he will be on hand on Sunday as one of the race’s official starters – and here are just some of those lining up – from F1 world champions and football legends to stars of screen and stage.

Sporting royalty

There are Olympic medals galore on show, including Britain’s most decorated Olympian Dame Laura Kenny.

She won five golds in track cycling but now swaps two wheels for running shoes and will will make her debut in the London Marathon for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, following her own traumatic experience of miscarriage and a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.

After being unable to run last year while pregnant with her third child, she is now channelling her advocacy into raising awareness of ectopic pregnancy and supporting others affected by it.

Also there is a man who has won four Olympic golds in Sir Ben Ainslie, a four‑time Formula One world champion in Sebastian Vettel, England cricket legend Sir Alistair Cook and the greatest jumps jockey of all time in Sir Anthony ‘AP’ McCoy.

There’s a strong Arsenal influence too – legendary Gunners skipper Tony Adams takes on his first marathon at age 59 along with three-time FA Cup winner Aaron Ramsay who only recently announced his retirement from football.

Heartfelt causes

On the celebrity front, award-winning actor and star of Wicked, Cynthia Erivo is taking on the London Marathon again after completing the 2022 event in an impressive 3:35:36. She is running for both The Kings Trust and Shameless Fund.

James Norton, actor and star of House of Guinness, James is taking on his first London Marathon for the charity Breakthrough T1D, following his own diagnosis of type 1 diabetes aged 22.

McFly drummer and long‑time running enthusiast Harry Judd is returning again, earning a reputation for continually chasing faster times. Most recently, he clocked an impressive 3:15 at the 2025 London Marathon.

Television presenter and performer, Ore Oduba is taking on the TCS London Marathon this year in honour of his beloved sister Lola, who died by suicide last April. Ore is completing the marathon for Black Girls Hike, the walking community that brought Lola joy, and raising money for Smartphone Free Childhood.

TV presenter and chef, Tilly Ramsay tackles her first London Marathon in 2026, running in support of Feeding Britain.

And Joe Wicks, fitness coach and bestselling author known as The Body Coach, is returning this year to take on the London Marathon for the third time, most recently finishing the 2025 event in 5:54:59.

And he was one of the first to collect his race number this week as he opened the 2026 TCS London Marathon Running Show.

“I’ve just had the honour of cutting the ribbon for the TCS London Marathon Running Show,” he said. “I did it with Daddy Pig and the running legend that is Paula Radcliffe, which was a real honour. It’s great to be here, and the energy is building now.

“It’s almost time to get out on the course at the weekend, and I cannot wait to be there.”