London Marathon 2026 Prize Money: Millions on Offer for Sabastian Sawe, Hellen Obiri and Other Stars

Defending champions Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa will return to the 2026 London Marathon scheduled for Sunday, April 26.

Sawe, the reigning Berlin Marathon champion, will face stiff competition from Jacob Kiplimo and Deresa Geleta. They are joined by veteran stars Amos Kipruto, Tamirat Tola, and Joshua Cheptegei.

Fans should also watch for the much-hyped marathon debuts of Yomif Kejelcha, Hagos Gebrhiwet, and Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi.

The British home crowd will be cheering for a strong domestic squad led by Mahamed Mahamed, Philip Sesemann, Patrick Dever, and Weynay Ghebresilasie.

On her part, Tigst Assefa will be joined by heavy hitters like former champion Joyciline Jepkosgei, two-time Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, and Degitu Azimeraw.

The British contingent is equally exciting, featuring the highly anticipated debut of Eilish McColgan, alongside Rose Harvey and Lucy Reid.

The 2026 race maintains the groundbreaking standard set in 2024 as the first major marathon to offer equal prize money for elite able-bodied and wheelchair athletes.

The winner of each race takes home $55,000 (Ksh 7,127,450), while the runner-up receives $30,000 (Ksh 3,887,700). Third place is awarded $22,500 (Ksh 2,915,775), followed by $15,000 (Ksh 1,943,850) for fourth and $10,000 (Ksh 1,295,900) for fifth.

As we move down the top ten, sixth place earns $7,500 (Ksh 971,925), seventh earns $5,000 (Ksh 647,950), eighth earns $4,000 (Ksh 518,360), ninth earns $3,000 (Ksh 388,770), and tenth earns $2,000 (Ksh 259,180). Eleventh and twelfth places receive $1,500 (Ksh 194,385) and $1,000 (Ksh 129,590) respectively.

Performance and Record Bonuses

The 2026 London Marathon also offers massive incentives for speed. Elite runners can earn additional payouts based on their finishing time.

• Elite Men Sub 2:02:00 / Elite Women Sub 2:15:00: $150,000 (Ksh 19,438,500)

• Elite Men Sub 2:03:00 / Elite Women Sub 2:15:30: $100,000 (Ksh 12,959,000)

• Elite Men Sub 2:03:30 / Elite Women Sub 2:16:00: $75,000 (Ksh 9,719,250)

• Elite Men Sub 2:04:00 / Elite Women Sub 2:17:00: $50,000 (Ksh 6,479,500)

Any athlete finishing first who also breaks the World Record will receive a massive $125,000 bonus (Ksh 16,198,750). A new London Course Record earns a $25,000 bonus (Ksh 3,239,750), while a new Wheelchair Course Record comes with a $5,000 incentive (Ksh 647,950).