2020 London Marathon live stream: how to watch for free and from anywhere right now

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Will the world record go on the streets of London today?

2020 London Marathon live stream
(Image credit: IAN WALTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

One of the UK's most iconic sporting events is finally taking place today, with the world's elite long-distance runners converging on the capital - read on to find out to get a London Marathon 2020 live stream and watch the much-delayed race online, no matter where in the world you are.

London Marathon 2020 - where and when

This year's event takes place throughout today (Sunday, October 4).

The Elite Women's Race started at 7.15am BST (2.15am ET), with the Men's race beginning at 10.15am BST (5.15am ET) and the wheelchair races starting at 1.10pm BST (8.10am ET).

Shunted from its annual April slot on the calendar, the rejigged 2020 edition of the Marathon will only feature elite runners who have prepared for the event within a biosecure bubble in an 'athletes only' hotel outside of London.

The route is also significantly different, and will be confined to a revised 19.6 lap closed-loop circuit around St James's Park in London rather than the familiar trip around the capital's tourist hot spots.

It's the first race of the year for many of the runners, with much of the focus with the men's race. Alas, the hoped for historic match-up between 2019 Berlin Marathon winner Kenenisa Bekele and world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge will no longer happen after the former withdrew with a calf injury. But conditions in London currently look good for a fast, potentially record-breaking race, with four-time Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah set to act as pacemaker.

The women’s field was won in some comfort by pre-race favorite Brigid Kosgei. Kosgei’s winning time was two hours, 18 minutes and 28 seconds - around four minutes slower than her world record, which seemed like it might have been on the cards today.

And in the wheelchair races, both Daniel Romanchuk and Manuela Schär are both set to defend their titles.

The great news is that getting a live stream of the 2020 London Marathon is really easy, as the BBC has the rights to show it in all its glory - just as it has since the inaugural year in 1981. And even if you live outside the UK keep reading as we’ll show you how to live stream the London Marathon 2020 from wherever you are in the world.

How to watch the London Marathon for FREE

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The BBC goes all out with its coverage of the national treasure that is the London Marathon. So if you're in the UK and you have a TV license, then you can catch across across BBC One, BBC Two, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and mobile app. 

TV coverage begins on BBC Two at 7am BST, before switching to BBC One at 10am. The coverage then returns to BBC Two from 1pm BST until 3.20pm BST.

If you're not in front of a television, then the iPlayer or BBC Sport app and website is the way to go for uninterrupted action and your pick of what to watch.

The other way to watch the BBC online is to go via TVPlayer.com, which hosts all of the UK's free-to-air channels without having to worry about hopping around from site to site or app to app.

Live stream the London Marathon from outside your country

We've got your UK and US watching options covered in this article. But if you try to watch the 2020 London Marathon and you're abroad, you're going to be out of luck - coverage will be geo-blocked.

Luckily, there's an easy way around even this hurdle. Simply download and install a VPN to change your IP address to a server back in your country. That way, your laptop, mobile or streaming device will think it's back at home and thus the geo-block will be avoided. Lovely!

ExpressVPN is the world's best current VPN

ExpressVPN is the world's best current VPN
A VPN allows you to change your IP address so you appear to be in a completely different location - handy when you want to access the streaming services you normally use and pay for in your home country. We've tested hundreds of VPNs and can recommend ExpressVPN as the best VPN currently available.

That's right: ExpressVPN (which also comes with a 30 day money back guarantee) is the #1 rated VPN in the world right now. You can watch on many devices at once including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets etc. And sign up for an annual plan you'll get an extra 3-months thrown in for FREE.

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And don't forget that a VPN isn't just for watching sport. There's loads you can do with one, from watching Netflix in other countries to adding an extra layer of security to your internet browsing. All in all, a Virtual Private Networks offer loads of benefits beyond just live streaming events like the London Marathon - though obviously that's the main thing right now.

How to watch a 2020 London Marathon live stream in the US

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If you’re in the US and want to watch this year’s London Marathon, then you’re in luck as you have several ways to watch the event. 

NBC Sports will air all the action on the day with the  Elite Women's Race starting at 2.15am ET, the Men's race beginning at 5.15am ET, and the wheelchair races starting at 8.10am ET.

If you’d prefer to stream the London Marathon on your computer, streaming devices or on mobile, the NBC site and NBC Sports App will also be streaming the event. 

If you don't have cable and don't want it, you can watch NBC Sports via Sling TV's $30 per month Orange package.

Hulu carries NBC Sports for $55 per month Or you could sign up to YouTube TV, which also carries NBC Sports but costs $65 per month.

Finally, if you want more athletics for your buck, NBC Sports Gold also offers a Track and Field Pass for $74.99 a year. The service lets you stream all of the top marathons and other athletic events without commercial interruptions and if you happen to miss an event, you can always watch it later on-demand.

How to watch 2020 London Marathon in Australia

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Australian TV won’t be showing the 2020 London Marathon but you can still watch all the action at Sunday’s event on specialist FloTrack service. You will need to sign up for the service’s membership to watch the event with pricing at $150 for the year or a flexible $30 rolling monthly membership.

You can access FloTrack on the likes of Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV and select Smart TVs, as well as via its iOS and Android apps.

The Women's Elite race starts at 5.15pm AEDT, with the Men getting going at 8.15pm.

And if you find yourself out of Australia but still want to watch your FloTrack coverage, then downloading a VPN could be the ideal solution.

Live stream the London Marathon in Canada

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As above, so below. FloTrack is your streaming service of choice in Canada (with the same times, of course, as in the US). The monthly price in Canada is $30, or you can save a packet by paying $150 for a whole year at the outset.

Outside Canada this weekend? Our information above about using a VPN will have you streaming the event in no time at all.

Kevin Lynch
Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards. Alongside reviewing the latest AV gear, smartphones and computers, Kevin also specialises in music tech and can often be found putting the latest DAWs, MIDI controllers and guitar modellers through their paces. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, Kevin is also a lifelong West Ham fan for his troubles.