How Long Would It Take To Walk The London Marathon
Let’s be honest: the London Marathon sounds absolutely bonkers. Forty-two kilometers—or 26.2 miles, if you prefer the old-school measurement—is a long, long way. But have you ever wondered, while happily munching your toast, just how long it would actually take to walk the whole thing?
Spoiler alert: it’s not as crazy as you think. Forget the elite runners who zoom past like cheetahs on espresso. For the rest of us, the ones who walk to the bus stop and feel accomplished, this is a much more relatable question.
The average person walks at a pace of about three miles per hour. That’s the speed you use when strolling through a park, window-shopping, or getting from the sofa to the fridge during a commercial break. At that pace, you’re looking at roughly eight and a half to nine hours of continuous walking.
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But hold up. Continuous walking? That’s the key. Nobody walks the marathon without a single pause. You’d need bathroom breaks, a snack stop (hello, banana at mile 13), and probably a moment to sit down and question your life choices. Factor in those little rests, and you’re looking at a solid ten to eleven hours.
Why should you care? It’s your new favorite Saturday.
Here’s where it gets fun. Imagine you wake up on a crisp Saturday morning in April. You lace up a pair of decent trainers—nothing fancy, just the ones you wear to the supermarket on rainy days. You step out your front door at 9:00 AM.
By 10:00 AM, you’ve walked to the local high street. By noon, you’ve chatted with a neighbor, bought a cold drink, and discovered a new shortcut through a park. By 2:00 PM, you’re hungry, but you’re also halfway there. That’s the moment you realize you’re a real-life marathon walker.
By 6:00 PM, you’re tired, your feet are grumbling, but you’re grinning. You finish your 26.2 miles just as the streetlights pop on. You collapse on a bench, eat a bag of crisps, and feel like a legend. Ten hours of your life, and you just walked across London—without ever needing a medal podium.
The tiny scale test (you can do this at home).
Don’t believe it’s possible? Think about your daily habits. A typical lunch break walk is about 15 minutes. If you did that twenty times, you’d be at the marathon distance. Or consider this: the time you spend binge-watching one season of a sitcom (Friends, anyone?) is roughly the same as walking the marathon. Imagine swapping three episodes of re-runs for a walk that changes your Sunday story.
For everyday people, walking the London Marathon isn’t about speed. It’s about showing up. It’s about putting one foot in front of the other for a day that feels like a tiny adventure. You don’t need to be a runner. You just need a pair of shoes, a playlist, and a willingness to be a little bit sore the next morning.
The real question: could you do it?
Honestly? Yes. The hardest part isn’t the distance—it’s the time. Finding ten hours in your week is a bigger challenge than the walking itself. But imagine this: you could walk to a friend’s house and back ten times. Or you could walk from your house to a neighboring town and back. The marathon is just that, but with a medal and a sense of achievement.
And here’s the warm, fuzzy part: you don’t have to do it alone. Every year, thousands of people walk the London Marathon. They’re not all fitness influencers. They’re mums, dads, students, and dog-walkers. They laugh, they groan, they high-five strangers. One woman I read about wore a costume as a giant teapot and took nine hours—because she wanted to raise money for tea-lovers. That’s the spirit.
Turns out, the magic is in the middle.
If you ever sign up—or just decide to walk a marathon-distance loop on your own—the best part happens around mile 18. Your feet hurt. Your legs feel heavy. But then you see a sign that says “Only 8 miles to go!” and something clicks. You realize you’re not a tourist anymore. You’re a participant. You’re part of the weird, wonderful club of people who walked across a city just because they could.
So, how long would it take to walk the London Marathon? About ten hours. But really, it takes a bit of curiosity, a little grit, and the willingness to say, “You know what? I think I’ll walk today.” And that’s a time commitment anyone can make—especially if you start at sunrise and finish with a pizza.
Just don’t forget the blister plasters. Your feet will thank you later.