The prevailing feeling about Sunday is that it should actually be restful. A quiet trip to church perhaps, or busting a hangover with some time on the couch for Cool Runnings. But every now and then such beliefs are abolished. Included this month.
On April 21 at 9:30 a.m., some 50,000 ambitious runners – some professional, some couch-to-5k types with delusions of grandeur – will make their way around 26.2 miles of temporary London track, contributing to a huge charity haul of more than £1 billion raised since 1981.
It’s too late to join them. The voting for entries was open for one week in October. People love to run. But it will be possible to see them as they walk along a route that is much the same as before.
If you give your full support, it doesn’t have to mean you have to be in the gray all day. If you’re there for one person in particular, a smart move is for both you and the participant to download the official app (tcslondonmarathon.com), which tracks runners using GPS. The mobile signal in the city is always spotty. day. If they come closer, just go outside; otherwise stick to the pub or book a restaurant nearby. Support doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself while they puff and push.
Below we’ve mapped out the best places to cheer near the track. Not all of them are close enough that you can high-five the runners from the beer garden, but they are at most a short walk away.
Start – Greenwich: Trafalgar Tavern
No simple riverside pub here: this grand regency-style spot is perfect for a bite to eat after the race has started. It offers beautiful views of the river and is more than comfortable enough to have a drink.
Park Row, Greenwich, SE10 9NW, trafalgartavern.co.uk
Start/mile 6 – Greenwich: The old brewery
The Old Brewery was formerly a Meantime pub and is now managed by Young’s, but the building has retained its charm. Located just off the Cutty Sark in the Old Royal Naval College, they have a great terrace and a decent dining room serving local snacks. Watch the race start and run this way, or start here and wait for the runners to pass around the six-mile mark.
1A Pepys Building Old Royal Naval College, SE10 9LW, oldbrewerygreenwich.com
Mile 6 – Greenwich: The Gipsy Moth
This small, Grade II listed pub is opposite the Cutty Sark (about four miles), so once the streams of runners have sweated past, you can still enjoy good views. The food here is also decent, so if you get exhausted from watching other people, there is a chance to restore your energy.
60 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 9BL, thegipsymothgreenwich.co.uk
Mile 10/11: The Mayflower
One of two pubs in this list that claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London, the quaint Mayflower is an ideal base from which to wander back and forth to see whose training is paying off as runners make their way through Rotherhithe. If you can (and the weather permits), find a spot by the river, in their lovely little garden.
117 Rotherhithe St, SE16 4NF, mayflowerpub.co.uk
Mile 11/12: The Angel
Thanks to the large gardens and views over the Thames, The Angel is a beautiful place to be when the weather is nice. It is a traditional neighborhood pub, which fortunately is rarely too busy. If you’re just looking for a decent pint, there are few better choices on the route.
101 Bermondsey Wall E, SE16 4NB, 020 7394 3214
Mile 12 – Tower Bridge: Pont de la Tour
Ask for a table outside at this chic French restaurant and watch the runners make their way over Tower Bridge. It’s pricey here, but the food and staff are both nice. Sure, the view isn’t perfect for the marathon, but consider the runners a nice addition to a delicious Sunday lunch. They also have some excellent wines.
36D Shad Thames, SE1 2YE, lepontdelatour.co.uk
Mile 12 – Tower Bridge: Legare
Legare is a smart and friendly Italian restaurant in one of the old warehouses along Shad Thames. Where once merchants would have unloaded goods, today there are good quality fresh pasta dishes, as well as oysters, antipasti and some of the best cannolos in London. Everything is good quality too: wines start at £6 a glass.
Cardamom Building, 31 Shad Thames, SE1 2YR, legarelondon.com
Mile 12 – Tower Bridge: Gunpowder
There are branches of this popular Indian restaurant in Soho and Spitalfields, but it’s the one in Tower Bridge that will get you closest to the action on marathon day. Here it’s all about sharing plates: enjoy a whole duck leg with andhrasambal and parsnip, or tuck into Goan-style grilled prawns, beef rib in Kerala pepper sauce, or grilled ray wing with curry leaves and sol kadhi.
4 Duchess Walk, SE1 2SD, gunpowderrestaurants.com
Miles 13/14 (and 22) – Wapping: the prospect of Whitby
Another institution that claims to be London’s oldest riverside pub, the Prospect of Whitby, certainly feels like it may not have changed much in recent history. That’s part of the appeal, and it’s a great little pub. Head to the elevated seating at the back for views over the Thames.
57 Wapping wall, E1W 3SH, greeneking-pubs.co.uk
Miles 13/14 (and 22) – Wapping: Turner’s Old Star
There’s no flash in this pub, and it’s a short walk from the race itself (like many around this point), but Turner’s Old Star fills up with race supporters every year. It’s just an old-fashioned drinking boat. As the name suggests, it was once owned by the artist. More recently, a few years ago, it was featured in the Kray biopic Legend.
14 Watt St, E1W 2QG, turnersoldstar.co.uk
Mile 15 (and 18/19) – Boisdale from Canary Wharf
If you fancy making it more than just spending hours in a pub, head to chic Boisdale. Highlights include the whiskey and oyster bar and a cigar terrace, but stay here until the evening, when there is live music.
Cabot place, E14 4QT, boisdale.co.uk
Mile 15/16 – Canary Wharf: Royal China
Dim Sum is best enjoyed in Soho and the surrounding area, at least if tradition dictates. But the Royal China branch next to the Thames Ferry Pier serves Cantonese food in a very different location. Expect the same solid classics here, whether it’s pork puffs or radish dumplings, but with a beautiful view of the river.
30 Westferry Circus, E14 8RR, royalchinagroup.co.uk
Mile 17 – Crossharbour and South Quay: The Lotus
A step back from the Canary Wharf hub at mile 17 is South Quay. The pubs and restaurants here tend to have a smaller crowd than those near Canary Wharf and West India Quay, so you have a bit more breathing room. Grab a window table at the Lotus, which can be found on a huge permanent berth between Crossharbour and South Quay stations, right on the Marathon Route.
9 Oakland Quay, Inner Millwall Dock, E14 9EA, lotusfloating.co.uk
Mile 23 – Tower Hill: Hanged, Drawn and Quartered
Fuller’s has nicely decorated this pub near the finish and it’s a good place to watch the exhausted joggers dig deep into their very last reserves of energy. There’s plenty of room here, but it’s still worth getting down a little early to get a seat.
26-27 Grote Torenstraat, EC3R 5AQ, hung-drawn-and-quartered.co.uk
Mile 24: The Savoy
After spending some time on the Embankment watching the runners go by, change the pace dramatically and head to the Savoy to spend an afternoon bathed in utmost luxury. The American Bar and Beaufort Bar both serve excellent drinks.
Beach, WC2R 0EU, Fairmont.com
Mile 25: Trafalgar Square: Portrait Restaurant
Richard Corrigan’s latest restaurant is a fun yet sophisticated affair. The food is served in a beautiful space full of natural light. And so with charming hospitality and views over London, starters may include crispy poached eggs with artichoke hollandaise or parmesan custard alongside anchovy crostini; main courses can veer towards classics – think chicken cordon bleu – and for dessert perhaps a steamed pudding with marmalade and custard.
2 St. Martin’s Place, WC2H 0HE, theportraitrestaurant.com
Mile 25 – Dyke: Gordon’s Wine Bar
Gordon’s Wine Bar is right on the route as runners pass Embankment and on towards Westminster. Grab a table outside in the alley next to Victoria Embankment Gardens to catch a glimpse of the sweaty masses regretting their life choices, or head inside to the Wine Caves, which are always buzzing and always romantic. Gordon’s is almost constantly full and the marathon won’t help, so go to bed early and prepare to drink a lot of wine.
47 Villiersstraat, WC2N 6NE, gordonswinebar.com
Mile 25/The End: The Westminster Arms
This little pub comes just before the finish. At the top of the road, the runners either run to the finish line or swear to never be that stupid again. When you’ve seen enough, walk back here. As the name suggests, it is a popular place with politicians. Bill Clinton and Angelina Jolie are among the famous names who came here for a beer.
10-storey gate, SW1P 3AT, herderneame.co.uk
Finish Line – St James’s Park: The Red Lion
As the runners pass the Palace and through the Mall to finish the race, escape the crowds and find a spot for a final drink. There are not one, but two good St. James’s pubs called the Red Lion – one a Fuller’s pub on Duke of York Street and the other an old pub on Crown Passage. Both are cozy, with lovely decor and beautiful old etched glass – perfect for relaxing after a long, hard day of watching other people exercise. If you’re treating a runner, take them to be pampered at the nearby Stafford or Duke’s hotel – both have excellent bars, and the Stafford also has a great restaurant in the Game Bird.
2 Duke of York St, St James’s, SW1Y 6PP, redlionmayfair.co.uk
Market Halls Victoria
If the hustle and bustle proves too hectic, Market Halls – a dining hall with eight kitchens, a bar and a roof terrace – is just a 15-minute walk from The Mall, opposite Victoria train station. It’s a casual all-day drinking and dining spot, where you can easily spend an afternoon enjoying cocktails and street food. The atmosphere in this former ballroom is always cheerful (in summer they often have to resort to a ‘one in, one out’ policy for their ever-popular roof terrace) and will undoubtedly be even more festive on the main terrace. Especially considering that they have previously offered a 15 percent discount on house drinks to marathon runners with a medal.
They don’t take advance reservations and instead operate on a walk-ins basis, so if Victoria is too busy you can head to one of the other Market Halls outposts. Our suggestion would be Market Halls Oxford Street (9 Holles St, W1G 0BD) – less than a 30-minute walk from the finish, where 20ft Fried Chicken, sister to the popular Black Bear Burger, has just opened.
191 Victoria St, SW1E 5NE, markthallen.nl