London Marathon tracker 2018: How to follow your friends' and family's running progress

London Marathon
Runner cross Tower Bridge in last year's London Marathon Credit: Paul Grover

The London Marathon is one of the biggest distance-running events in the world, bringing together people of all ages and abilities on one course.

Such an epic 26-mile undertaking means that entrants need all the support they can get, and thanks to advances in technology it's now a great deal easier to track your friends' progress than it was back in 1981, when the Marathon was born. 

So whether you're at home, on the go, or spectating around the course, here are a few tips on how to follow your runners throughout the day. 

Official app and online tracker

The Virgin Money London Marathon ran its own mobile app for the first time in 2015, to make it easier for friends and family of participants to track the race as it progresses. 

The service was available on Android for the first time in 2017, having previously been an iPhone exclusive.

The tracking facility is also accessible via the official website. Timing intervals are every five kilometres and you can search both by a runner's name and their race number.

The app has been redesigned for 2018 and handily includes a list of pubs located along the race route, along with all drink stations and first aid points on an interactive map. 

Marathon App in action, available on iPhones from the app store
Credit: Virgin Money London Marathon

Split times and race times will be regularly updated, as well as the overall leaderboard. Updates are calculated using timing mats that runner cross every five kilometres. 

Running apps

There is a range of other apps available on both Apple and Android that use GPS tracking and automatically deliver live updates to followers online.

These smartphone apps can provide more detailed and personal way to follow a friend than the official website. Set up before the marathon starts, the smartphone will send progress reports via email and social media throughout the race.

Some of the running apps are free, but to access the live-tracking facilities with the likes of Garmin Fit and RunKeeper you’ll have to sign up for the paid subscription service. 

To avoid the battery running out mid-race, make sure you pull back to the Home screen so that the app is only operating in the background.  

It’s also best to be aware that during past London Marathons, these mobile means of tracking have had problems with overload.

Arithmetic

If you’re out on the course looking to spot a specific runner, you can also use good old-fashioned mental arithmetic to ensure you’re in the right place at the right time. 

Provided your charge has done a modicum of training – enough that they can take a stab at their average minutes-per-mile – and you know what time they start, you can make a fair guess what time they’ll hit each mile marker around the course. 

Three hours 48 minutes is the average time for male racers, while four hours 23 mins is the average time for female finishers. 

License this content