Vitality Westminster Mile and Vitality London 10,000: Road closures, routes, and times

Children and adults are preparing for one of London’s most family-friendly running events this coming Saturday (September 23) the Vitality Westminster Mile (VWM).

Organised by the team behind the London Marathon, the VWM invites runners to skirt a stunning route around St James’s Park in central London. Starting on The Mall, participants take in most of the park’s exterior before ending outside Buckingham Palace, with the option of heading to the Vitality Wellness Festival later in the day.

The event is part of a weekend of runs in the city centre, with the Vitality London 10,000 held the following day -another spectacular route which takes in iconic sites from St Paul’s Cathedral to Big Ben.

A virtual version of the Vitality London 10,000 is also available, for anyone who cannot get into the capital on September 24.

Entries for this year’s VWM are closed, though for those already signed-up, or who are wanting to come and provide support, here is what you need to know.

What time do the races start?

The VWM begins at 9.30am with its first wave of adults. There are 17 waves in total, ending with adults and kids at 12.30pm.

The Vitality London 10,000 starts at 10am. For more information on times for both races, visit the VWM website here and the Vitality London 10,000 website here.

What are the routes?

Both races will take runners past some of the most notable central London landmarks, though their routes differ quite substantially due to their lengths.

The VWM involves a mile around St James’s Park, starting near Marlborough House Gardens on The Mall, and heading round to Buckingham Palace.

The Vitality London 10,000 meanwhile also begins on The Mall, before heading east as far as Bank, then turning back on itself and going down to the Houses of Parliament, before similarly ending at Buckingham Palace.

Are there any road closures?

There are a number of road closures in-place from Friday to Sunday September 22-24 due to the VWM and Vitality 10,000 runs.

For the VWM, the following roads will be closed from 6am on Friday to 10pm on Sunday:

• The Mall
• Marlborough Road
• Spur Road
• Link Road
• Constitution Hill
• Horse Guards Road 

Buckingham Gate and Buckingham Palace Road will close from 8am to 4pm on Saturday.

For the Vitality London 10,000, the following roads will close from 8am on Sunday until 2pm:

• Buckingham Gate
• Great George Street
• Whitehall
• Trafalgar Square
• Northumberland Avenue
• Great Scotland Yard
• Duncannon Street
• Strand
• Aldwych
• Chancery Lane
• Holborn
• Holborn Viaduct
• Newgate Street
• King Edward Street
• St Martin’s Le Grand
• Cheapside
• King Street
• Gresham Street
• Lothbury, Princes Street
• Threadneedle Street
• Queen Victoria Street
• Cannon Street
• New Change
• New Fetter Lane