London Marathon 2019

Regarding viewing there are a multitude of options to get to see the elites go through, some much less crowded than others.

Last year I went along to the start and then walked down to the Cutty Sark area and watched from just after mile 7. I got there just as the elite ladies went through ( I was actually stuck in the middle of one of the crossing points as they sped past) and then found a kerb to sit on a bit further along the course a few hundred meters past the mile 7. Saw the Elite men go through and some of the "elite" boardsies and some of the speedy guys I knew locally. I then left and made my way back towards Cutty Sark down some allyways and side road, but not along side the course as it was too busy to get through the crowds, and walked under the river through the Greewnwich Foot Tunnel.

I'd recommend being on the river side of the road at Greenwich in order to be able to use the foot tunnel, but if you are on the south of the road at that point you can still get up top the next bit of the course by taking the DLR from the Greenwich stop, don't bother trying to fight your way into the DLR stop for Cutty Sark, it's far too crowded and a waste of time I think for where you want to get next.

The foot bridge brings you out at just before mile 17 and you'll be in plenty of time to see the elites go through again here. The crowd is not too busy and you can walk along the footpath up towards Canary Wharf taking as long as you like, although you may need to dash across the road at some point where the footpath disappears or they have a water station. Once you get up the the big office blocks the crowd should still be thin enough to get through, but it's very noisy so if you are hoping to cheer for a freind at this point they are unlikely to hear you. If you were to hop on the DLR from one of the stops there and got along to Tower Gateway, then walk across the road to Tower Hill you can then get on the Circle or District lines along to Embankment or Westminter. You'll probably not make it in time to see the elites again at that point unless you are very well practised in negotiating the underground, but you should be able to easily get there quicker than someone else who you see around the Canary Wharf area and then catch them again near the finish. You could get back to see the route again at Tower Gateway/ Hill, and should make it there in time to catch your friends again, but it will be very, very busy around there. Great atmosphere though so might be worth a stop off. When running and you do spot someone you know in amongst that crowd it is a very good boost, but the supporter would need to have a very loud shout to be heard above the din.

All along the last few miles will be quite crowded, but I think the roads are wide enough that you'll not have problems getting a good view. You won't be able to walk along the side of the route at certain points from Westminster towards the finish though as they have one way systems for pedestrians setup and some foot paths blocked off.

Edit: Just for a guide of how long travel takes on the underground, last year I was hanging around long enough at just before Canary Wharf to see the Elite men and a fair chunk of the speedier local runners that I knew, I then left as I saw a runner in a local club vest drop out and then escorted him back to the finish via the DLR. It took us about as long to get back to the finish as the guys who he'd have been running amongst to get there, although we were obviously not overly rushing as he was a bit knackered at the time.

Here is Farah and Kipchoge going through about 17 miles last year.

https://flic.kr/p/26EMYZG

rainbow kirby wrote: »

That area is such a kick in the pants if you're on the slower side like me! :pac: 4:51 in Manchester and probably slower for London means a relentless stream of fast people coming back at you.

Less than 3 weeks to go, that's flown in! Will be heading down from Manchester on the Friday, going to the expo with hubby and kids that day, probably doing my old home parkrun at Highbury Fields on the Saturday.

I think we're going to practice our counting at Highbury Fields as well.

We can now get the entirely reliable long range weather forecasts. 13 degrees, a bit cloudy and 20km wind from wnw:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/gb/london/ec4a-2/daily-weather-forecast/328328?day=17

Could do without the wind, but otherwise not too bad.