Changes were made to the course to make it more environmentally friendly; the number of plastic bottles used was reduced and biodegradable alternatives were used instead.

[2] After winding through Canary Wharf, the route returns through Shadwell on the other side of the road to which it entered before passing through Tower Hill.

[3] The runners enter the underpass in Blackfriars before running along the Thames Embankment, past Westminster and onto Birdcage Walk.

[3][2] The course then runs parallel to St James's Park before turning onto The Mall and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

[7] A much anticipated appearance was from Briton Mo Farah despite being an underdog and the bookmaker's second favourite pick.

[5] In the women's race, defending champion Vivian Cheruiyot and three-time London Marathon winner Mary Keitany were favourites.

[15] They passed the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) mark at about 2:21:00 pace, four minutes slower than the women's only world record set by Keitany at the 2017 edition.

[19] Once the pacemakers had dropped out, Kipchoge took lead of the group which included Shura, Mule Wasihun, Mosinet Geremew, Farah, Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, and Tamirat Tola.

[15][19] Kipchoge began to increase the pace, leaving only himself, Mosinet, Mule, and Shura in the lead group by the 30 kilometres (19 mi) point.