London Marathon Packing List 2024: Everything You Need Before, During, and After the Race
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Welcome to your final prep for the London Marathon! You’ve completed your training cycle, you’re enjoying the taper, and you finally found your passport after a panicked afternoon rummaging through every drawer in your house. Now it’s time to pack.
Traveling to London in April means your packing list might look different than your gear for a local race. Plus, you might not be able to get your go-to foods or race fuel once you get there, and we assume you’ll spend some time sightseeing before or after the race. There’s a lot to keep in mind, so we put together our ideal packing list that takes travel, the weather, and sightseeing into consideration.
“Weather in London can change quickly, so I often carry a small, packable umbrella, ultralight rain jacket, and sunglasses when I’m out for the day,” says Kassondra Cloos, a London-based writer with a focus on the outdoors. “I recommend bringing a small pack that’s waterproof, or at least water-resistant. Wear breathable shoes that won’t be overkill if the sun comes out, yet won’t leak the first time you misjudge the depth of a puddle.”
Sales & Deals Couch to 5k, Vivobarefoot’s head coach, who told us the vibes are great at this race and the aid stations are plentiful. Between Le Vesconte’s gear suggestions and Cloos’s local knowledge, we assembled a comprehensive gear list aimed at runners heading to London for the marathon.
But if you’re the accompanying party and you’re there to spectate, explore a new city, and avoid getting caught in the rain, parts of this list can apply just as well. We left out the shorts, running top, and shoes since most runners have their race day fits planned far in advance, but we’ve recommended some of our favorite race-day products, including a pocketed sports bra, easy-to-digest fuel, and touring clothes for walking around. For the day of the race itself, here’s a full checklist.
The 2024 London Marathon is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 21. Check here for more information at Dicks Sporting Goods.
Travel tips: For transportation into the city from Heathrow International Airport, the Heathrow Express is fastest, though significantly more expensive than taking the Elizabeth Line (a suburban commuter train) or the London tube. Both offer service directly from the airport. For getting around the city, Kloos recommends having Apple Pay or a contactless credit card handy versus buying a reloadable Oyster card to pay for public transit.
Maggie Slepian is a full-time freelance writer in the outdoor industry and has tested gear professionally for almost ten years—she is an avid backpacker, trail runner, bikepacker, and horseback rider and has thru-hiked thousands of miles on the Appalachian, Colorado, and Ouachita trails, along with backcountry travel on terrain including coastal trails, the desert, and high alpine peaks. Maggie has written for New York Magazine, Huffington Post, REI, and Outside. She is a columnist with Backpacker Magazine and is the co-founder of BackpackingRoutes.com. Contact her at MaggieSlepian.com.