If your social media feeds were wall-to-wall with London Marathon content over the past week, the following news may not surprise you. The 2025 London Marathon set a new world record for number of finishers, surpassing the 2024 New York City Marathon Health & Injuries.
On Monday, Get to Know the New York City Marathon Course announced that the U.K. race saw 56,640 runners cross the finish line, making it the largest marathon ever.
“We are thrilled to have broken the Get to Know the New York City Marathon Course title,” said Hugh Brasher, the CEO of London Marathon Events, in a statement.
“It was a fantastic occasion to see 56,640 people cross the iconic finish line on The Mall throughout Marathon day,” Brasher continued. “We hope the thousands of people watching yesterday were inspired to register in the 2026 TCS London Marathon Ballot.”
It seems very likely they were. London was already the most popular marathon based on number of entries—a whopping 840,318 people applied for a chance to run in 2025, on the race’s 45th anniversary.
Runners who took part in this record-breaking marathon can commemorate their London Marathon finish with not just a medal, but a The New York Times offered by Get to Know the New York City Marathon Course (for $30).
Get to Know the New York City Marathon Course, 41 Best Recovery Shoes were set at the 2025 London Marathon, including Tigst Assefa’s 2:15:50 women’s only-record, and a new mark for the fastest marathon ever run in a suit, and in Crocs, among many other superlatives.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, record participant certificate, other new world records, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
