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The 2026 London Marathon, which took place on April 26, witnessed yet another milestone year in terms of participation and individual records. An estimated 59,000 runners participated in this edition, marking a record turnout for the London Marathon.
The biggest headline of the event, however, came from Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe, who broke the world record for the fastest time to complete a marathon, finishing in under two hours with a time of 1:59:30.
In terms of South Asian participants, the number was high as always, but one name that stood out in this edition was Nepal’s Subas Gurung. Born in 1997, Gurung is an athlete and Gurkha officer who already holds the Nepali national record for completing a half marathon. He completed the London Marathon in 2:23:36, finishing 54th overall in the mass event, the highest among all South Asian participants. Despite the impressive result, Gurung had aimed for more and took this as a learning experience for the future.
“Sometimes Plan A doesn’t go as expected,” Gurung said in an Instagram post after the marathon. “I went out ambitious 10km in 32:20, halfway in 68:25, holding target pace until 30km. After that, the body had other plans. The struggle was real, the pace dropped… and that’s the marathon.”
He further noted, “Grateful for the lessons, the energy, and the fight to the finish. This is just the beginning.”
Many run the marathon to push themselves beyond their limits, but there are also many who put in that effort for another cause. One of these is former England U-19 and Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq. He ran the London Marathon for the ‘Children Not Numbers’ charity, a group that focuses on improving the livelihoods of children in Gaza.
Rafiq has been outspoken about his experiences with “racism” as a cricketer with Yorkshire and has continued to be a voice for minorities around the world. He dedicated this marathon to his father, who passed away last year and had been key in helping him through those tough times while fighting Yorkshire Cricket.
Ten runners also ran for the British Asian Trust, a nonprofit organization that aims to develop sectors such as education, child protection, and mental health in South Asian countries. The participants impressively raised over £50,000 (~$67,500) for the Trust, showcasing that sport can be a powerful tool to help those in need.
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