London marathon spectating - give me tips

[thedoofus]

Hi,
Partially inspired by another thread (there are obviously plenty of people on here who know their marathon)...
DH running his first (only?!) London marathon on Sunday and we are going up from Devon to watch. 'We' are me and three teenagers. Two are very enthusiastic about the whole thing and will want to make the most of it. Third is coming slightly reluctantly and doesn't cope well with changes of plan/uncertainty/crowded tubes etc. I want to make a fairly foolproof plan that enables us to watch DH in a couple of locations, allows the enthusiasts to make the most of the atmosphere, and doesn't stress out the anxious kid too much. We don't mind a fair bit of walking. Help!

My marathon spectating is limited these days - Mr Monkey is on marathon number 35 now and the marathon watching can get a bit tedious once you are in double figures!.

Mile 23 on Lower Thames Street is a good place to watch I think. You can access it easily from London Bridge, it isn't too crowded and you can tske a quieter walking roite up walk up to the finish line through the City and up along Fleet st and the Strand.

Mile 23 is also a good place to watch out for your DH as this is where it gets really tough espeically for first timers, so he may appreciate the boost of seeing you and the children.

Use the tracker to get an idea of where he is.
Text him exactly where you are (we are outside x pub, by this sign).
take some cowbells or a big sign to get his attention, honestly the crowds are 5 people deep, it’s really hard to see people.

I had some friends unexpectedly pop up at embankment. It gave me such a boost to see them.

if you’re carrying gels or snacks for him, have it ready to go when he gets to you.

I have worked in Events teams in charities for many years and been to cheer at the London Marathon lots. I volunteer with my run club every year and I ran it for the first time last year. Being a spectator is hard, the tubes are EXTREMELY busy and at some places (Cutty Sark, Bermondsey, Canary Wharf etc) you will be queuing for a VERY long time to even get in to the tube station, meaning you miss getting to the next spot.

A lot of my friends and family went to around miles 9-11 and planned to get to Canary Wharf and then to the end. They couldn’t get back to the tube and walked for ages to get closer to Westminster!

My personal favourite is to go to Westferry. You can see them just before mile 15, walk along the quiet roads to Heron Quays about mile 18, then go back to the other side of the road at Westferry about mile 20 where the pain is really starting to kick in! Actual Canary Wharf is heaving, so much noise and support, but further down around Mudchute is pretty quiet. Being at Westferry on the DLR, you should be able to get in the station easily too, switch at Canary Wharf and stay on the Jubilee line to Westminster super close to the finish.

Bring a lot of snacks and drinks for yourselves. Have some orange chunks and salty crisps for DH too. It’s the loss of salt and electrolytes which gets to runners and a few salty crisps can give them a nice boost!

Have an amazing day

Mike 13-20somerhing is where the course doubles back on itself so you can see them twice in the same spot from what I remember (just as they come off tower bridge) and then it’s not too long a walk to the finish. It’s where my husband hit the wall so a good place for a friendly face

Previous runner and spectator here with some advice gathered from five marathons. Definitely don’t overcommit. You can check out the route and the tube map and maybe assume that you’ll be able to manage three or four spots but you’re likely to be stressed and struggling to do that on the day because of the sheer volume of crowds. I would say my advice would be Bermondsey tube and turn right (between 11 and 12 miles) which is a nice spot for runners to get a boost. Follow the tracker and tell them that you’ll be on the left as they’re running. Then tube to Waterloo and walk over the bridge to Embankment in plenty of time to see them at mile 24/25. An easy relaxed plan. And my tip on meeting after is to do that in Trafalgar Square rather than the Mall. All of these are pretty accessible to Waterloo and because it’s over the river, it’s slightly less marathon chaos. Enjoy. It’s an amazing day.

We started at Cutty Sark mile 7, get there early. Then you can walk under the river in the Greenwich foot tunnel to the other side and catch them coming down one side between miles 15 and 16, then cut across to catch them on the other side. Then we got a tube back towards the end and caught them at mile 23 and then another tube to the end. It is busy in most places. Buy your food in advance, the shops are stripped bare. It’s an amazing, if tiring day. Have fun x

When my family came to watch me, they missed me at miles 6, 12 ish, 18 and managed to see me somewhere between the Embankment and the finish. Tubes were a nightmare.

Subsequent years, watching other family members, one spot was picked around 20 miles and they didn't move.

I would suggest standing on tower bridge (about 12 miles in to the marathon route) and then you can just go round to embankment. You might be able to go to Cutty Sark first too depending on his speed. My DH ran sub 3 so actually beat me to the finish line when I tried to view in 3 places (even though I was using the tube 😂).

it’s not the easiest to navigate as there are barriers everywhere so you can’t get across the road even though you can see the tube station etc so go prepared to be flexible with your plans!

I’m from london and I went to watch the marathon about 20 years ago, worst thing ever, I’ve never been back to london on that day… until this weekend the Chelsea v Barcelona ladies is on at 2 so I’m hoping we can avoid the crowd just using the underground and not walking the street.

Don’t rely on the tube. Plan your spectating around walking. I went last year. It was an amazing atmosphere. Great day out.

Thank you; this is all so helpful. I think we will not be too ambitious and try for somewhere around miles 12-14 and then heading over to embankment and the finish.

How fast is he planning?! This makes a big big difference! My Dad will be around 5 hours and we aim to see him 4-5 times (have successfully achieved this previously!). Sub 4 and you need to be much more cautious.

Make or get a distinctive sign or balloon or get a megaphone or something. It’d SO hard to pick out faces in the crowd whilst running so make yourselves as visible as possible!

We usually walk down from North Greenwich tube to the route for Mile 6- it’s very quiet as it’s a bit of a walk!

Posters advising using the Greenwich foot tunnel. Beware! The last few years it’s been closed and this year I believe is south bound only!

Work out his target time and minute mile pace. Once you know this you can do the maths. So my Dad is aiming for 10 min miles, meaning we have 60 minutes to get between miles 6 and 12. This will help you work out if you are on track for example if you get stuck in a massive tube queue.

Utilise spots where you can see a runner twice:

Canada Water is a busy tube but you can jump between miles 9 and 11 and see your runner twice.

Canary Wharf is usually worth the queue because you can see a runner at mile 15 and again at 18 without moving very far yourself. HOWEVER despite it only being 1 tube stop the queues will mean you can’t do both of these so pick one!

On the mile 14/22 combo, yes this a good one but beware that it’s a 2 way street so on the first go you might just be yelling from across the street past all the faster runners so people can’t always see you!

I always like Embankment around miles 23/24 the side furthest from the river- there are some quieter spots so it’s easy to get to the front and easier for your runner to spot you. You can walk to the finish from here really.

You should also know that there will be absolutely zero phone signal at the finish! Follow the London Marathon advice to pick a letter to meet under and absolutely do not deviate from this plan! Some people advise going straight to the charity reception and meeting there instead but I always like to meet my DH earlier so he can carry my bag 😂.

Spectating can be really tiring too, I’ve clocked up 30k steps cheering in London before! Wear comfy trainers and take snacks and drinks in a backpack as you won’t get anywhere near any shops or cafes, there will be too many crowds and queues!

It is a really magical once in a lifetime experience so best of luck to your DH!

Thank you - that is all incredibly helpful. He's expecting to do in in between 4hrs 15 and 4 hrs 30 so we'll hopefully be able to work out a plan.
I've revised my own footwear plans and am dialling back the kids' expectations of popping by food trucks/pret etc (all of which are highlights of London when you live in the middle of nowhere normally!).

We go to certain food outlets the night before to get the London novelty snacks! The year I snagged a Gail’s Too Good to Go bag the night before was EXCELLENT, we sat on a wall eating pastries and coffee waiting for our runner to come through!!!

Ooh, I LOVE that idea. DD is the queen of Too Good to Go - will get her on it!

Around Limehouse on the DLR is great - you get to see mile 13 and 14 if you’re quick, then you have a leisurely wait up on the Commercial Road for mile 21. Couple of shops and bars/restaurants to kill some time or if you need added refreshments. If the crowds are on your side you may just make the finishing point in Westminster too but the Limehouse DLR queue was mega long last year. We’ve always done this route to support family - you can also fit in a first viewing at around mile 8/9 Surrey Quays but I’ve found the exit/entrance to the station incredible stressful and hectic.

My family just head to mile 25ish opposite the London eye! You can normally get a spot pretty easily and I know where to look out for them! Or Mike 17 by mudchute is normally pretty doable too!

Hoofing around town is hard work for the spectators and the two times my DH tried it I didn’t see him nor them me!!

Oh an enjoy it!! London is pretty special in Marathon Sunday! I’m almost always a blubbering wreck whenever I go and spectate!!

Several people have recommended Mudchute as a good place to go. Which tube station is the best to aim for?

It’s on the DLR I think…to be honest it was the runner world forum meet-up place so there was lots of booze so it’s all a bit hazy! But I remember it being a lot less busy than other places last time I ran two years ago from a runners perspective!

Mile 6 at East Greenwich is a good spot as the crowds aren’t too dense. Walk to Greenwich foot tunnel then pick up the race again over the river at Canary Wharf (use DLR close by if tunnel shut), then head from Canary Wharf to the end. Lots of landmarks and sights doing this if you’re new to London.

Mile 13+ - go to Limehouse or Westferry on DLR
Or Canary Wharf (but might be busier)

If you watch in Limehouse (approx mile 13) it’s a nice walk up to Canary Wharf along riverfront and plenty of cafes/restaurants for families too

This was my husband’s plan when I did it and it worked (done with a 5 and 7 year old at the time). But it was tiring! I also was a slower runner, 5hrs 15, so he had time to get around!

Westminster on Jubilee line to Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf on DLR to Cutty Sark
(view mile 7 Creek Road)

Cutty Sark on DLR to West India Quay
(view mile 14.7 ish West Ferry Rd pre tunnel)
(view mile 18.7 ish North Collonade junction Bank St)
(view mile 20 Poplar High Street)
Poplar on DLR to Tower hill or (or Bank/Monument).
Tower Hill on District Line to Embankment.
(view mile 25 Embankment)