Not to spectate while Husband runs the London Marathon

I'm with you OP - especially as your husband has done so many marathons before. En route you would only get a brief glance anyway and like PP said you won't get anywhere near the start or finish. Go and enjoy your pastry and coffee and agree a mutually convenient meet place for afterwards where you can tell him how amazing he is

Oops 😆it is a long time to stand and wait for a 10 second glance of your loved one! Having my DH waiting at the finish meant so much more to me as there’s plenty of crowd support along the route.

Having done the London marathon I can confirm that seeing your family part way round and getting a hug from them is one of my fondest memories. It’s a special event and that support meant the world to me.
As for walking him to the start…completely pointless as you won’t be able to get near it. Past particular points it’s runners only.

I missed my DH and children, they certainly weren't too polite to tell me, they were quite grumpy about it! 🤣

They got a good photo of Mo Farah but I'm not convinced they thought it was worth the wait!

Enjoy your pastry and coffee OP. As somebody who has run the London marathon , I was so focused on my run that I completely missed my support crew ! Total waste of time for them tbh , although they are too nice to ever say so , and they did get a couple of great photos x

Your friend's opinion is irrelevant - it's what your husband thinks that matters. If he's agreed to the plan, what's the issue?

Why so judgemental about people you don’t even know?

I’m surprised how sentimental people are being about a marathon, especially as he’s done multiple before. Something like an Ironman I get, especially in each transition, but I wouldn’t get overly invested in spectating along the way with this either, you know him best.

Do your own Greggs marathon. I would.

Yes but if it’s very quiet, like Farringdon, over the weekend it’s because it’s for good reason.

Farringdon is corporate central hence dead at the weekend

I know, I was just giving an example that whilst anywhere on the course will be heaving, it's not inconceivable that they could find somewhere quieter, in London

Farringdon is quiet as the graves every weekend!

I’m sorry to hear about your Son’s diagnosis OP. That must be difficult at any age but given it sounds like he’s still a child, that must have been incredibly stressful for you all. I hope he’s doing ok 😊 x

YANBU.
You will be there when he starts and at the finish. You have rare childfree time. You presumably picked up more of the childcyover the past few months when he was intensively training. You are sorting out the move to the new hotel.

Honestly I get that a marathon is a big deal for the person running it, but ultimately it’s just a hobby.

Given your hotel is at the finish, I reckon the best plan is to get yourself there and then follow your nose and enjoy a wander from there. You are slap bang in central London, there is something of interest on every street. Its the weekend so a lot of places round there will be eerily quiet. Plenty of places for coffee and pastry, you may stumble across a gem (going all the way to Notting Hill sounds like madness!), AND you've got a proper one-of-a-kind event happening around you which you can dip in and out of as you please. Yes it can be busy but it very quickly dissipates a street away from the course.

My favourite place to watch the marathon is along the embankment - you see the whole range of human emotions there. Avoid parliament and its not hard to find a quiet way to walk to it and get out once you've had enough.
Make a plan in advance with DH for after if you want to meet up right after - it'll take him a while to get through the finish area and he may want to enjoy the experience and not rush it either. Don't have him relying on you for anything (he can put anything he needs in his bag at the start and it'll be waiting for him at the finish - I always pack a sandwich, fruit, change of clothes). St James park is a lovely place to meet if the weather is good, but the course goes round the N/W/S sides so enter/leave from the east side to avoid crowds. Phones can be dodgy immediately around the finish area but a text to say exactly where you are should reach him.

Arrange somewhere to meet him away from the park, mobiles will be overloaded. People tend to spill out of all the pubs around Traflagar Sq. The Chandos is a traditional runners meet up place. Take some crisps and drink (I tend to go for a cloudy lemonade) in case he needs something immediately.

Have a back up plan in case your fiest meet point goes wrong (strong memories of having to launch a search and rescue mission for Mr Monkey in Boston after he got lost .

If I were the runner I'd probably want you to meet me along the route, but TBH it's not that exciting as a spectator, so if he's not bothered.

Watching a marathon sounds totally dull. YANBU at all.

When my hubby ran it we hit the jackpot as the apartment we booked was on the route! Pure luck we didn’t know until we were checking in. I got to watch it all from the first floor through the sash windows. Had friends round and we had drinks it was the best day.

I had people watching me OP, but it's so busy that I could hardly see them and they only gor a glimpse of me once. The support is amazing and it wouldn't have mattered had no-one I knew been there. It is nice to have someone to meet you at the end though and congratulate you. Docklands is best @SaveAHorseRideAHighlander if you want to actually see him on the course.

It's fine. Mr Monkey runs loads of marathons and I go with him when he goes to good places (last one Boston!) . I never watch him. I see him off at the start and then arrange to meet when he is done. You can watch his progress on the app.

I do like to have a bit of a watch of the race though, as the atmospbere is always good in city centres on marathon day. London is particularly great.

Not everywhere in London will be busy.
I walked from Blackfriars (heaving) to Farringdon - about a mile away - the year before last and it was quiet as the graves, in Farringdon.
(Not helpful to the areas @SaveAHorseRideAHighlander has mentioned but just pointing out there will be some quieter areas

He's doing what he wants, so why shouldn't you do what you want? Watching people run is boring af to me - I'd not waste a day in London doing that when I could go shopping or sightseeing instead!

I notice it is your friend who thinks you should watch - there's no mention of your husband himself being all that bothered. As he's run marathons before I assume you're both aware that it will be quite difficult for you to spot him, and quite unlikely that he'll spot you at all unless you really distract him, which if he's a serious runner he might not particularly welcome. He will appreciate your support a lot more at the end when there's actually something you can do.

Having a coffee on your own in London sounds wonderful, especially if you can get to an area that's not directly affected by the marathon. And it won't take you nearly 4 hours, so if you change your mind about watching and/or he himself asks you to be at some particular spot and you decide you're willing to, you can still do both.

If you already know you aren't going to watch him why are you asking for opinions?