BBC One is dedicating nearly six hours to the 2026 London Marathon, the most important ever with almost 60,000 runners
Gabby Logan presenting the BBC’s protection of the London Marathon (Picture: BBC)
With almost 60,000 contributors taking to the streets for the 2026 London Marathon, this 12 months’s version is the biggest within the occasion’s historical past.
It comes as little shock, then, that BBC One has devoted nearly six hours of protection to the world-renowned sporting spectacle, which sees women and men of all ages, backgrounds and talents pounding the pavements of the capital in support of numerous worthy causes.
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Gabby Logan kicked off protection of the forty sixth London Marathon on Sunday, April 26 at 8.30am, with knowledgeable evaluation offered by a stellar commentary staff together with Andrew Cotter, Steve Cram, Paula Radcliffe and Tanni Gray-Thompson.
“Over the subsequent few hours we’ll observe each step, each triumph and each tear,” Gabby promised, as opening footage rolled of opponents throughout their coaching preparations.
With protection scheduled till 2pm, quite a lot of common Sunday daytime programmes have been shifted to BBC Two, together with Breakfast, which migrated to the second channel halfway via its broadcast, alongside Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, experiences the Mirror.
Simply moments after the BBC’s protection bought underneath means, viewers have been already flocking to social media to share their reactions. Alongside a flood of excellent luck messages directed on the runners, audiences at house have been united of their view that it was unmissable tv.
One viewer wrote: “All the time a television spotlight of the 12 months.” A second posted: “Love watching the London marathon. Such an amazing custom right here.” One other wrote: “Love the #LondonMarathon . So many wonderful folks supporting nice causes. All the time fantastic examples of humanity, willpower and help towards the backdrop of gorgeous London.”
A fourth commented: “Finest needs to all this 12 months’s runners about to set off within the @LondonMarathon. I used to be ready means again at the beginning 43 years in the past on the third Gillette #Londonmarathon. Superb to have been a part of the #BBC protection working down the Mall. Blissful reminiscences.”
Gabby chatted to a few of these participating (Picture: BBC)
The forty sixth London Marathon options each the ladies’s and males’s elite races, which have been received final 12 months by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa and Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, respectively. The wheelchair races additionally took centre stage, with Swiss athletes Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner claiming victory in 2025.
Alongside the elite races, tens of millions extra take part to boost very important funds for charities near their hearts, with many tackling the 26-mile course in fancy gown whereas others try to interrupt all method of world data.
Amongst this 12 months’s contributors are brothers Jordan and Cian Adams, whose mom Geraldine was recognized with familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) at simply 47 years outdated, passing away aged 52 in 2016. Following genetic testing, Jordan and Cian found they too carry the gene.
Jordan Adams is working in reminiscence of his mum (Picture: undefined)
Showing on BBC Breakfast on Saturday, Jordan, who was simply 15 when his mom obtained her prognosis, mentioned: “I’m a provider. I’ve a 99.9% likelihood of getting familial FTD. It isn’t a matter of if. It is a matter of when.
“And I simply need do as a lot as I can within the time that I’ve to assist these dwelling with dementia, these impacted by it, in order that I go away this world, hopefully in a greater place when dementia does take my life.”
They are going to deal with the London Marathon, with Jordan working whereas carrying a fridge strapped to his again, earlier than finishing an extra 32 marathons throughout Eire to pay tribute to their mum’s Irish heritage.
“We set a financial aim to attempt to elevate 1,000,000 kilos earlier than we die of dementia,” Jordan mentioned.
London Marathon is on BBC One on Sunday, April 26 from 8.30am to 2pm
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