Swap your Sambas for sneakers and get warming up that cheer voice. Britain’s biggest marathon, the London Marathon, returns to the streets of central London this weekend and it’s set to be the greatest yet. More than 56,000 people are set to complete the world-famous 26.2-mile course - beating the current record of 55,646 finishing the New York Marathon in November - and many thousands more are set to turn out to cheer them on. If you managed to secure a place in the running equivalent of Glastonbury, you should probably buy a lottery ticket and watch out for lightning (apparently just four per cent of applicants actually get a place, according to new data). If you weren’t lucky enough to nab a spot this year, you can still revel in the buzz and drama of race day. Bonus: no blisters. From the hottest support spots and celebrities to look out for, to free drinks finishers, here’s everything you need to know. Race day is set for Sunday, April 27. Elite wheelchair races are set to start at 8.50am, followed by elite women at 9.05am, elite men at 9.35am, and then the mass event from 9.35am to 11.30am (however, exact timings are subject to change). Participants will be sent their start wave time about three weeks before Marathon Day via email. For cheer-squad novices, there are two rules for supporting: download the official London marathon app so you can track your runner, and plan ahead. The route starts in Blackheath and winds its way past many of the capital’s most iconic sights before ending on The Mall, so prepare yourself for some shoulder-barging if you want to see your runner (and your runner to see you). The most popular cheer spots are at the Cutty Sark (mile 6), Tower Bridge (mile 12), Canary Wharf (mile 18), the Tower of London (mile 22), the London Eye and Big Ben (mile 25) and Buckingham Palace (mile 26), but you might have a better chance of wiggling your way to the front of the crowd if you pick a different spot. Miles 9 to 12 around Rotherhithe and Bermondsey are a good option if you want to give your runner a much-needed pick-me-up early on, and miles 14 to 21 around Limehouse and Canary Wharf are a great base if you want to see your runner multiple times without having to walk too far. For those with disabilities, the accessible cheer points can be found at Cutty Sark, Canary Wharf, Rainbow Row (Butcher Row), Tower Hill and Victoria Embankment. See above for a map of the route on Strava. And here’s our list of the best pubs, bars and restaurants along the full 26.2-mile route. No self-respecting British event would be complete without a train strike. Mercifully, there are no tube strikes planned for April 27. However, the RMT union announced strikes affecting Avanti West Coast on Sundays from 12 January to 25 May 2025, meaning that operating hours will be reduced. Running trains are expected to be busier than usual. If you can’t make it into the capital for race day (or fancy a lie-in), you can still enjoy the excitement on TV. The BBC will be broadcasting the whole thing, with live coverage on BBC One and BBC Two. There will be live streams from Tower Bridge and the finish line on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport app. These will be available on-demand to watch back afterward. There’s something ever so slightly satisfying about watching your favourite celebrity grinding it out for 26.2 miles, looking a little less polished than they do on Instagram. The race always attracts big names, and according to The Runnel Channel, this year doesn’t disappoint. Sir Jason Kenny, the nation’s most successful Olympian, is running his first marathon, alongside Sir Andrew Strauss and Sir Alastair Cook, two England cricket legends, who are running for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Other stars include comedian Romesh Ranganathan, pop star Harry Judd, footballer John Terry and radio presenter Chris Evans. If you spot them, make sure you’re smiling: you could just make your debut as an extra in the background of the show. Fancy dress is a quintessential part of the London marathon. Remember the guy who spent five days completing the course dressed in a deep-sea diving suit? Conservation charity Save the Rhino claims to have pioneered the whole thing, when a runner completed the race wearing a 12kg rhino costume in 1992. Last year, Wales Rugby League wheelchair team member Martin Turner wore the costume. 2024 stars included Dave 'the Running Telephone’, who ran his 25th marathon in aid of this year’s race charity, and 91-year-old David Picksley, who walked the route to raise money for Bowel Cancer UK in memory of his sister. If you’ve got any energy left to celebrate after the finish line, you’ll be able to blow off steam at an after-party or down a free pint at a local boozer. The Africa Centre in Southwark is hosting a free event with DJs, food and drinks, and it’s likely that more parties will be announced in the coming weeks. Pubs including The Bedford Pub and Three Cheers are offering Marathon runners a free drink (you just need to show the bartender your medal). If you find yourself getting sucked in by the joy of the event (don’t say we didn’t warn you), there’s not long to wait until you can try your luck for a coveted place. You can pre-register for the 2026 marathon here.