London Marathon prize money: How much will the winners get?

The 2024 London Marathon will create history by becoming the first marathon in the world to ensure equal distribution of prize money between able-bodied athletes and wheelchair racers.

Although the winners as not as well paid as in some other iconic sporting events, the elite men’s and women’s able-bodied races and men’s and women’s wheelchair races will all have a prize pot of $308,000 (£243,000) with the winners receiving $55k (£44k) each.

The legendary 26.2-mile race around London’s most recognisable landmarks returned to its traditional April slot last year after Covid forced a move to October in previous years and it is once again a spring highlight this time around, taking place on Sunday 21 April.

Sifan Hassan was the winner of last year’s women’s elite able-bodied race, while the men’s event will be tinged with a hint of sadness after the passing of Kelvin Kiptum, the 2023 champion, in February.

Here’s everything you need to know:

What is the prize money on offer at the London Marathon?

This year’s London Marathon will make history as it becomes the first marathon in the world to pay wheelchair racers the same prize money as their able-bodied counterparts.

London Marathon wheelchair races were already the richest in the world, but a further increase of $54,500 (£43,000) to the prize money in 2024 means the total prize pot stands at $308,000 (£243,000), creating parity with the elite men’s and women’s able-bodied fields.

This means that all winners in the elite races of the 2024 London Marathon will receive $55,000 (£44,000), with the runner-up earning $30,000 (£23,700) and third-place $22,500 (£17,800).

When is the London Marathon?

The 2024 London Marathon will be held on Sunday 21 April. The exact timings for this year have not yet been confirmed, but are likely to resemble last year’s schedule, which was:

8.30am BST: Mini London marathon

8.50am: Elite wheelchair races

9.00am: Elite women’s race

9.30am: Elite men’s race and mass start

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the London Marathon live on the BBC, with extensive television coverage and online streaming available via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

What is the route?

The course for the event remains largely unchanged since the first running of the race in 1981. Entrants will start in the south of Greenwich, embarking on a largely flat course to the east before folding back towards the centre of London on Woolwich Church Street.

From there, runners weave past the Cutty Sark by the Thames, hugging the river as they travel through Bermondsey and crossing Tower Bridge. A right turn will take competitors into the heart of the old Docklands, winding through Canary Wharf before doubling back to begin the final stretch through central London. A dip through an underpass at Blackfriars will take runners down to the Embankment with the Thames to their left, turning right at Westminster Bridge.

Two more right turns on the edge of St James’s Park will take the field on to the famous finish on The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

What is the women’s elite field?

The elite women’s marathon will be headlined by Tigst Assefa, who smashed the world record in Berlin last September. Previous record holder Brigid Kosgei will look to challenge her. The field in full is:

What is the men’s elite field?

Reigning New York City Marathon champion Tamirat Tola, legendary Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele and last year’s runner-up Geoffrey Kamworor are among an intriguing men’s field: