London marathon 2026: Trotters take on the new fastest marathon in the world

Sunday 26th April - new fastest marathon in the world - The London Marathon

The TCS London Marathon took place yesterday and, despite hot conditions for the mass field, delivered one of the most extraordinary days in the event’s history.

At the front of the race, London witnessed world‑record‑breaking performances. Sebastian Sawe made history by becoming the first man ever to run a sub‑two‑hour marathon, crossing the line 65 seconds faster than the previous world best. In the women’s race, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa delivered another dominant performance, successfully defending her London Marathon title and setting a new women‑only world record of 2:15:41, bettering the mark she set here last year.

17 Teignbridge Trotters took to the streets of London. While the heat tested runners throughout the day, the atmosphere was electric, with huge crowds lining the route from Greenwich to the finish on The Mall. Among the club runners, Rachel Steele produced a superb performance, finishing in 3:47:45 to secure a Good‑For‑Age qualifying time, made all the more impressive as it came just two weeks after completing the Dartmoor Marathon.

Teignbridge Trotters were well represented across the field, with finish times as follows: Alex Sparks (2:39:15), James Saunders (3:12:29), Freya Morrissey (3:24:30), Mandy Wheeler (3:32:38), James Marshall (3:37:29), Guy Jary (3:40:35), Rachel Steele (3:47:45), Will Hassell (3:48:51), Deborah Elphick (3:50:02), Andrew Fox (4:06:21), Kim Knight (4:11:36), Rachel Harrison (4:26:44), Chris Andrews (5:05:52), Jayden Taylor (5:08:02), Amy Davey (5:21:11), Karen Peters (5:21:11) and Kurt Read (5:52:08).

Huge congratulations to all Trotters! Full results are here: TCS London Marathon 2026. 

If anyone else took part and would like their experience included, please contact the Press Secretary so this report can be updated.

Sunday 2th April - Maer Half Marathon (Exmouth)

The Maer Half Marathon returned to Exmouth for its seventh year, showcasing everything the East Coast of Devon is known for: rolling roads, coastal hills, and stunning clifftop views. Club member Del Skinner took on the half‑marathon distance, describing it as very much “a game of two halves”.

The opening section of the race is predominantly undulating road, winding its way through and around Exmouth before splitting at the 5km point. It’s in the second half that the course truly begins to test runners, heading onto the South West Coast Path with a series of demanding climbs and descents before looping back towards the finish at Sideshore on the seafront.

Del completed the course in a watch time of 2 hrs 4 mins, navigating both the steady early miles and the tougher coastal hills, and praised the event as well organised. With shared start and finish locations adding to the atmosphere and sea views throughout much of the route, the Maer events continue to offer a real test alongside an enjoyable and supportive race experience.

For those preferring a shorter challenge, the Maer 10km follows a single‑lap route that rejoins the half marathon course after 5km, including a downhill stretch to the Geoneedle and a scenic run back along the coast path to the finish.

For full results go to: LMEvents : The Maer 10km & Half Marathon

Saturday 25th April - Total Coastal Half Marathon

Following two challenging marathon weekends, Sue Tremlett stayed closer to home on Saturday by taking on a demanding South West Coast Path Half Marathon, running from Paignton to Shaldon.

Described by the organisers as 13.1 challenging multi‑terrain miles with just over 3,000 feet of ascent, this is a race that fully lives up to its reputation. The route is entirely on the South West Coast Path, with approximately 75% off‑road trails, offering stunning coastal scenery alongside relentless climbs and descents.

The race starts at Preston Green near Paignton, with the opening miles taking runners along tarmac through to Torquay Harbour. After passing the Imperial Hotel, the route heads back onto the trails, undulating along the coast towards Babbacombe Beach, where runners pass beneath the iconic Babbacombe Cliff Railway before continuing through Petitor Downs. The final six miles consist of particularly scenic but tough, hilly off‑road trails, finishing at The Ness in Shaldon.

Conditions on the day added to the challenge, with hot weather making an already hilly course feel even tougher. Despite this, Sue completed the route in 3 hrs 40 min, describing the run as “very hot, hilly and hard” but a satisfying achievement given the cumulative fatigue of the previous two weekends. 

Further event details can be found at: Total Coastal – Winding Paths

Thursday 23 April - Severn Bridge Twilight Race

On Thursday 23 April, Claire Ailing took part in the RogueRuns Severn Bridge Twilight Race, a distinctive and scenic 5‑mile evening event held on the iconic Old Severn Bridge.

The race began with a group warm‑up inside the tunnel before runners made their way up onto the bridge for a 7:30pm start. The out‑and‑back course follows the pedestrian accessways of the Severn Bridge, with runners crossing to the far side via a footbridge before turning back towards the finish.

Just before the turnaround point, runners were greeted, and energetically spurred on, by a group of drummers, adding to the atmosphere of an already memorable course. The return leg was run against the backdrop of a spectacular sunset, making for a striking and uplifting finish to the race.

The event was described as brilliantly organised, with friendly marshals throughout and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. Claire completed the course in an official time of 41:25, finishing 97th out of 412 runners and placing 26th female - a strong performance in a competitive field.

As if the scenery, sunset, and medal weren’t enough, the race rounded off with free cake and tea at the finish, making it “a win‑win indeed”.

Full event details are available at: RogueRuns - Severn Bridge 5 Night Race

Sunday 19 April - The Boston Marathon 2026

On Sunday 19 April, club members Roger Moss and Jon Pressling were among an elite field of qualifiers taking part in the prestigious 130th Boston Marathon.

Steeped in history and tradition as the world’s oldest annual marathon, Boston once again welcomed over 30,000 runners from across the globe. The point‑to‑point course began in Hopkinton, taking runners through a series of rolling roads and testing climbs, including the iconic Heartbreak Hill, before finishing on the historic Boylston Street in downtown Boston.

Runners were treated to near‑perfect race conditions, with cool temperatures and a gentle tailwind helping propel the field along. This year’s race was supported by an estimated half a million spectators, whose enthusiastic and unwavering encouragement created an electric atmosphere from start to finish.

Jon Pressling produced a strong and controlled run, narrowly missing his sub‑three‑hour target for a 2027 Boston qualifier with a finishing time of 3:04:13, but a huge achievement nonetheless. Roger Moss delivered a superb performance to complete the race in 4:52:25, particularly impressive given that he had also run the Barcelona Marathon just the previous month.

Congratulations go to both Jon and Roger for representing the club on one of marathon running’s greatest stages.

Boston deets here: Boston Marathon - Boston Athletic Association

Sunday 19th April - The Manchester Marathon

The Manchester Marathon once again lived up to its reputation as one of the UK’s standout road races, attracting over 40,000 runners to the streets of Greater Manchester. Known as the second-largest marathon in the UK after London and the fourth biggest in Europe, the event is also celebrated for being one of the flattest marathon courses available, making it a popular choice for athletes targeting personal bests and age‑graded qualifying times.

This year’s race benefited from excellent conditions, with sunshine throughout much of the event and timely cloud cover providing welcome relief. The flatter, more circuitous course – in contrast to routes featuring repeated out‑and‑back sections – combined with outstanding crowd support to create a positive running experience across the field.

The endurance challenge was underlined by Sue Tremlett, who completed Manchester just one week after running the Brighton Marathon. Brighton proved to be the tougher of the two races, with fuelling issues and the nature of the course making it a demanding day. Manchester, however, offered a very different experience: smoother running, consistent support, and conditions that allowed stronger finishing despite fatigue from the previous weekend. Sue should be extremely proud of finishing times of 5:10 at Brighton and 5:05 at Manchester respectively - WOW!

It was great to see club colours represented along the route, spot familiar faces on the course and during travel, and share in the wider sense of achievement that comes with completing a major marathon.

Race results can be accessed via the link below. Unfortunately, the results platform does not allow searching by club. If you took part in the Manchester Marathon, please let the Press Secretary know so this page can be updated to include all club finishers: Sporthive

A huge thank‑you to everyone who contributed to this week’s race report.

To help keep things running smoothly, please send the contributions by 7pm each Sunday to Jo Randall at press@teignbridgetrotters.co.uk.