Get a pep talk from Paula Radcliffe ahead of London Marathon 2026 with this free Apple event

If you’re staring down the London Marathon and starting to wobble slightly, this might help. Paula Radcliffe, still the UK’s most iconic marathon runner, is hosting a free live event in London the day before the 2026 race, offering up a final dose of wisdom before 26.2 miles of reality hits.

The former world-record holder will be at Apple Brompton Road, London, on Saturday, the 25th of April, recording a live episode of her Paula’s Run Club podcast alongside two-time Olympian Chris Thompson. It’s part of Apple’s wider takeover of marathon week, but this is the one that’ll likely fill up quickest.

Thanks to her experience, you’ll no doubt get some savvy advice you actually want to hear, with her talk set to touch on topics like: how not to blow up halfway round, how to deal with the inevitable bad patch, and what’s going through your head when you hit the later miles and everything starts hurting. In other words, less glossy inspiration, more survival tactics.

They’ll also get into the role tech plays in modern running, pacing, tracking, staying locked in, with Apple, unsurprisingly, front and centre. The session is hosted by Apple Fitness+ trainer Cory Wharton-Malcolm, a key figure in London’s running scene, so it shouldn’t feel too corporate.

It’s free to attend, but space is limited, so you’ll need to be quick to get your name down. The event sits within a bigger push from Apple around the TCS London Marathon, which now pulls in over a million ballot applicants, a slightly absurd number that tells you how big this thing has become.

Earlier in the week, Joe Wicks is leading a 5K shakeout run from the same store, joined by a mix of trainers and athletes to help runners loosen up (and probably overthink everything a bit more). Then on race day itself, Apple Music will be dotted along the course with DJs and playlists aimed at dragging people through the tougher stretches.

All of which means marathon week is starting to feel less like a single event and more like a full-blown festival, just one where everyone’s slightly tired and obsessing over their pace. Still, if you’re going to take advice from anyone before doing something this daft, Radcliffe’s not a bad place to start. You can sign up here.

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