The 2026 London Marathon brought out a deep field of famous faces on Sunday, April 26. Among the headliners were Cynthia Erivo, who took 14 minutes off her 2022 London time, Des Linden, who ran her third marathon in three weeks, and Joe Wicks, who finished one second behind a person dressed as Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig.
Erivo PBs, then back to the West End
Erivo first ran London in 2022 in 3:35:36. On Sunday she dropped that to 3:21:40. She was due back on stage in Dracula the following night at 7:30 p.m.
“I got on really well today, I PB’d,” Erivo said at the finish line. “The atmosphere was just amazing, I don’t know how many times I heard my name screamed around the course it was wild and insane. There was a little rough moment where I thought I wasn’t going to make it but then I found a little bit of strength and I had a friend helping me so, I’m here and I’m really proud.”
Erivo started running regularly while performing in The Color Purple on Broadway in 2016 and uses the miles to think things through. “I just get to centre, I process all the things that are going on in my life and get to think about the things that I want to think about and zone out for a second, meditate for a second and just be me, no makeup, no nothing, no costume, just me.”
She got up at 5 a.m. on race morning. Her sister was waiting at mile 21 with a card, as she always is. “It feels like a homecoming,” Erivo said. For a wider look at famous finishers, see our roundup of celebrity marathon times.
Des Linden’s third marathon in three weeks
For runners watching the field, the most striking name was Des Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion. Linden ran 3:04:24 in London six days after finishing 30th at Boston in 2:35:49, and less than two weeks after placing third at the Marathon des Sables, the multi-stage ultra in the Sahara.
Her surprise podium finish in the desert was only her second-ever trail race. Speaking on Nobody Asked Us, the podcast she cohosts with Kara Goucher, in January, she said the London plan was simply to pace a friend. “I’m really just out here to have some fun and to connect with communities,” she said.
A pig in the field
Joe Wicks, known across the U.K. as “The Body Coach,” ran 5:51:54 alongside Daddy Pig, who officially clocked 5:51:53. Wicks raised money for the National Deaf Children’s Society. The pig in the costume, who remains officially anonymous, beat him by one second.
“We are really please as we finished under 6 hours and that we only did a small amount of walking,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Daddy showed up, determined to have fun and inspired his whole family to be active.”
Their fundraising target was £58,000, one pound for every deaf child in the country. Asked who was inside the costume, the answer was simple. “Daddy Pig is a Pig!” If you’re considering a charity entry yourself, our guide to running a marathon for charity walks through how it works.
Other notable finishers
Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula One world champion, ran 2:59:08 in his marathon debut for the Brain & Spine Foundation and the Grand Prix Trust. His finish put him in the small group of celebrities who have cracked three hours. “I’ve never done a running competition before so today exceeded my expectations,” Vettel said. “It is great to go under three hours but the last 10 miles felt really long.”
Sir Alastair Cook, the former England cricket captain, ran 3:05:15 for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, ten minutes faster than last year but short of his sub-three goal. Asked how the marathon compares to a Test match, Cook didn’t hesitate. “Cricket’s easy. When you’ve finished, when you’re not very good, you cash out and sit down. There’s no hiding place here.”
Tilly Ramsay, the 24-year-old chef and daughter of Gordon Ramsay, ran her first marathon in 4:01:26 for Feeding Britain. Actor James Norton, who has type 1 diabetes, finished in 4:29:04 for Breakthrough T1D. And 88-year-old Harry Newton completed his 22nd London Marathon in 7:53:59. “I had a bit of pain here and there but despite the pain, I loved every minute,” Newton said.
The day’s biggest headlines came from the elite race: Sabastian Sawe became the first man to break two hours in a record-eligible marathon, while Tigst Assefa lowered the women-only world record. The 59,000-runner field was the largest in marathon history.
