London Marathon 2015: Route, Course Map, Times, Road Closures and Event Details
The delights of the UK’s capital will be sampled by thousands of runners at various levels of ability this weekend, as competitors gear up for the 35th London Marathon.
Athletes will be handed a unique opportunity to take in the iconic sights, with the 26.2-mile course winding past various landmarks, including the River Thames, Big Ben, Canary Wharf and Buckingham Palace before finishing at the Mall.
While the jovial atmosphere conjured by fun-runners at this event makes it one of the most popular marathon races in the world, there is an extremely competitive element, too.
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Here’s a closer look at those who will be hoping to cross the finishing line first and a closer examination of all the key details ahead of the event.
| 9 a.m. | The Virgin Money London Wheelchair Marathon for Men & Women |
| 9:05 a.m. | IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup |
| 9:20 a.m. | The Virgin Money London Marathon Elite Women |
| 10:10 a.m. | The Virgin Money London Marathon Elite Men, British Athletics, England Athletics Championship for Men & Women |
| 10:10 a.m. | The Virgin Money London Marathon Mass start |
A full list of relevant road closures can be found here, courtesy of Get West London.
For the full route and course map, courtesy of the event's official website, click here.
Here is a timelapse video courtesy of Virgin Money—the event sponsors—who have condensed the course into a five-minute clip:
Big Names Set to Tackle London Course
We’re set for an engrossing battle in the men’s London Marathon this weekend, with the reigning champion Wilson Kipsang and world-record holder Dennis Kimetto set to fight it out for glory.
As noted by the event’s official Twitter feed, their duel is being billed as “Clash of the Champions:”
Kimetto became the first person ever to run under two hours and three minutes over a 26.2-mile distance at the Berlin race last year. It was Kipsang’s previous standard that he beat on the day, but the Kenyan will be desperate to prevent Kimetto snatching another title off him, with the world-record holder making his London debut.
Kipsang is very experienced around the London streets, though. He’s won this race twice and, ahead of the event, revealed his desire to join an elite crop of three-time winners, per the event’s official website:
"I would love to join the London Marathon legends by winning a third title.
London always has the best fields but with Dennis in the line-up this year it promises to be a bruising battle. I certainly won’t give up my title belt without a fight, but let’s see who has the knock-out blow.
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We could also be treated to a record effort in the women’s event, too. Paula Radcliffe ran a stunning time of 2:15:23 in 2003 in a mixed race in London before a mark of 2:17:42 a couple of years later in the women-only discipline. With a quartet of quality Kenyan ladies set to take part this weekend, the latter is a time potentially under major threat.
Mary Keitany, Edna Kiplagat, Priscah Jeptoo and Florence Kiplagat will bid to beat Radcliffe’s mark. The first mentioned of those is the woman who has gotten closest to the extraordinary times set by the Brit. The record holder will also be in the race too, taking in her final marathon ever.
While she’s not expecting to be among the winners, 41-year-old Radcliffe has spoken about how important the event has been in her getting involved in running, per BBC Sport:
"The London marathon inspired me into running.
I know I am not going to be competitive but to get the chance to take part in this race one more time is something that is really special.
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In addition to the serious stuff, there will be plenty of competitors running the distance for the first time, with many looking to raise money for admirable causes. Formula 1 driver Jenson Button revealed he is getting involved on social media:
But all eyes will be on the battles at the front initially, with a real chance of seeing some blisteringly quick times. The clash between Kipsang and Kimetto will be encapsulating, but despite the latter seeming to have the edge in terms of speed, the two-time London Marathon winner’s experience will give him the edge here.
Radcliffe is set to receive the inaugural John Disley Lifetime Achievement award—named after the race’s founder—so much of the focus will be trained on her in the women's discipline.
But with Keitany poised to make a charge for her landmark time, the Kenyan star could well steal some of the spotlight from the legendary Brit.
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