How to watch London Marathon 2026: Free Streams & TV Channels | Tech Radar

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How to watch London Marathon 2026: Free Streams & TV Channels

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia defend their titles

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Stream London Marathon 2026 free on BBC i Player (UK) / Olympic Channel (select countries)

46th London Marathon: Sun, Apr 26, 3.50am ET / 8.50pm BST

The London Marathon 2026 live streams will feature a lineup of the world's elite long-distance runners over the 26.2-mile course that winds from Greenwich to the Mall — via the famous dry dock Cutty Sark — in the UK capital. As well as Sebastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa defending their titles, there will be more than 59,000 runners pounding the tarmac, including former F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and Olympian Laura Kenny.

The 29-year-old Sawe won in 2:02:27 12 months ago, ahead of Jacob Kiplimo, the half-marathon world record holder on his debut over the full distance, and Ugandan will again expect to feature on the podium. Ethiopia's Deresa Geleta is third runner to go under the 2:03 mark, with Joshua Cheptegei and Tamirat Tola, reigning 10,000m and marathon Olympic champions respectively, also in contention. Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, also lines up.

Assefa didn't just win the 2025 women's race, she broke the world record in a women-only race with a time of 2:15:50. The Olympic and world silver medallist is a supremely consistent performer, but will face serious competition from Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei, who won in 2021 and was last year’s runner-up. Hellen Obiri, who took Olympic bronze in Paris, is also expected to challenge.

In the wheelchair events, Marcel Hug seeks a record-equaling eighth London title after winning last weekend's Boston Marathon for the men, while fellow Swiss Catherine Debrunner seeks a third title in a row in the UK capital.

There are plenty of famous faces among the near-60,000 runners, too. Former F1 star Vettel, Olympic cyclist Laura Kenny, ex-England cricket captain Alastair Cook and former champion jockey AP Mc Coy all running.

Read on for our guide on where to watch London Marathon 2026 live streams online, on TV and potentially for free wherever you are.

The 2026 London Marathon is free-to-air on BBC One and BBC i Player for UK residents. Remember, though, you must have a TV license.

There are also free live streams from Rai Play if you live in Italy and RTVE Play for Spanish residents.

In countries where the race hasn't been picked up by a local broadcasting partner, such as Japan or New Zealand, the Olympic Channel also has coverage without a cost.

This handy guide has a rundown of what broadcasting deals are in place worldwide, meaning you can work out if yours doesn't via a process of elimination.

Traveling abroad right now? You can use a VPN to watch London Marathon 2026 for free as if you were right at home. Nord VPN is our top pick of the options.

A VPN is handy piece of software that can make your device appear as if it's back in your home country, so you can unlock your usual service. The best VPN right now? We recommend Nord VPN – it does everything and comes with up to 75% off.

Not having a VPN is like leaving your front door wide open in a busy city – anyone can walk right in and take a peek.

Tech Radar regularly reviews all the biggest and best VPN providers and Nord VPN is our #1 choice.

Get Nord VPN and stream London Marathon 2026 from anywhere.

How to watch London Marathon 2026 live streams in the US

Flo Track is showing London Marathon 2026 in the US.

A subscription will set you back

150 per year or

29.99 per month on a rolling basis.

If you're traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use Nord VPN to watch your usual service from abroad.

How to watch London Marathon 2026 live streams in the UK

The London Marathon 2026 is being shown on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC i Player in the UK.

On Sunday, the elite race coverage starts at 8.30am on BBC One, before live coverage moves to BBC Two at 2pm.

You can watch throughout on BBC i Player and the BBC Sport website. Remember, you need a TV license to do so.

If you're traveling overseas, don't worry, as you can use Nord VPN to watch your usual service from abroad.

How to watch London Marathon 2026 live streams in Canada

In Canada, Flo Track is also showing the London Marathon 2026.

A subscription will set you back US

150 per year or US

29.99 per month. It's billed in US dollars.

If you're already a subscriber but you're outside Canada right now, download a VPN to watch London Marathon 2026 as if you were back at home.

How to watch London Marathon 2026 live streams in Australia

Flo Track is also showing London Marathon 2026 live streams in Australia.

A subscription will set you back US

150 per year or US

29.99 per month. It's billed in US dollars.

Not in Australia? Use Nord VPN to tap into your usual race coverage from anywhere if you're away from home.

Of course, most broadcasters have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone's browser.

You can also stay up-to-date with the London Marathon on the official social media channels on Instagram (@London Marathon) and Facebook (@London Marathon).

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Andy Murray is an award-winning writer and columnist, voted the Consumer Journalist of the Year at the 2015 PPA New Talent Awards. A fluent Spanish speaker and former semi-professional footballer, he was senior staff writer of world-leading football magazine Four Four Two from 2012 to 2019 and continues to write and edit for them, national newspapers, websites, the Olympic Games and Premier League clubs.

An avid music lover since an existential introduction to The Bends by Radiohead aged 10, he has been a Glastonbury regular for decades and always lends an ear to the latest tech. For the past three years, he has tested products, subedited reviews and delved deep into the minutiae of VPNs for Tech Radar.

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