London Marathon 2022: How to compete in the London Marathon virtually from home

Around 40,000 competitors are gearing up for the London Marathon 2022, set to take place in Autumn for the last time.

This year, the marathon will include several famous faces, with the likes of former TOWIE star Mark Wright taking part.

Due to demand, not everyone will get the opportunity to compete in this year’s race, however, a significant number will be taking part virtually instead.

Entries have now closed with the official London Marathon website confirming 40,000 runners are set to take part virtually this year.

Despite not hearing the roaring crowds, or jostling alongside thousands of fellow participants, virtual entrants still receive the same perks, including the official 2022 TCS London Marathon finisher’s t-shirt and medal, posted to all finishers after the event.

When is the virtual London Marathon 2022?

The virtual London Marathon will take place on the same day as the in-person event, on Sunday, October 2.

How does the virtual Marathon work?

The virtual London Marathon 2022 can be accessed via the official app, which can be downloaded from the App Store on an iPhone or the Google Play Store.

Participants have between midnight until 11:59pm on the day of the marathon to complete the distance.

This means the marathon can be carried out in small stages, breaking your virtual marathon down into as many sessions as desired by using the pause functionality on the tracking device. Official results will be based on the total elapsed time throughout the day.

Where can I do the virtual marathon?

The whole idea of the marathon is to be able to do it wherever, however, it does come with some rules.

For example, you cannot do it on a treadmill, it must be done outside and cannot be done stationary.

It would also be challenging to do it in a garden. The website states that “The Official App is unlikely to work in an average-sized garden – you need to run at least 50 metres before changing direction for the Official App to be able to track you.”