Here’s the good news: you don’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour like it’s a flight to Australia. The elite wheelchair race kicks things off at 8:50 AM. Then the elite women storm the start line at 9:00 AM.
The elite men and the big, beautiful mass participation wave start at 9:10 AM. Yes, you read that right. The world’s best runners are basically having a morning jog while the rest of us are still wiping sleep from our eyes.
But wait—there’s a catch. This is London, darling. It’s a three-start system. If you’re not an elite, you’ll be in a wave assigned by your estimated finish time. So your actual start could be anywhere from 9:10 AM to 11:00 AM. It’s like a wedding where the bride arrives fashionably late, but everyone still claps.
Wave, Wave, Wave Your Start Time Away
You get a color-coded pen (yes, a pen, like sheep at a fair) and your wave slot is printed on your bib. Blue, green, red—it’s a real-life sorting hat situation. Don’t lose that bib, or you’ll be running with the chaos crew.
Your official time only starts when you cross the start line, not when the gun goes off. So if you’re in wave 6, you can still sleep in. Or, you know, panic-eat a bagel at 7 AM like a normal person.
Pro tip: the last wave usually closes around 11:00 AM. That’s the “I’m here for the medal and the free beer” crew. No judgment. I see you.
