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[title]There’s something in the air right now. Everywhere you look in London – from the paths of Victoria Park to the pavements of Southbank – you’ll see people running. Sporting their hydration vest, sucking on gels and glancing at the Garmin watch on their wrist. But they’re not trying to catch the tube or escape a god-awful first date, they’re just… running. For fun.
Londoners have well and truly caught the running bug. But who can blame them? This city is blessed with all kinds of terrain to explore when you want to get the endorphins flowing. If you’re not in the mood for jogging down busy central streets, there are wild heaths, flat towpaths and beautiful canalside trails on your doorstep instead.
With race season in full swing and the London Marathon just around the corner, Time Out asked some of the city’s keenest runners for their favourite running routes in the capital. These people have run miles and miles of the city, broken records and harnessed the power of running to build thriving communities. So they know their stuff.
There’s no gatekeeping here. Whether you’re a seasoned racer or just fancy a slow and steady 3k from time to time, these are some brilliant routes to try out next (and a few words of wisdom, in case you need the motivation).
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The best running routes in London
Adele Roberts, DJ
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘The place that inspired me to start running in the first place was Hampstead Heath. That really made me fall in love with London. There’s lots of undulation and gradients if you need to do hill runs, there’s lots of flat bits, lots of beautiful bits, it always feels safe there and best of all, they have toilets that work. I’m obsessed with toilets, I need to know where they are, especially now I have a stoma.
‘A friend told me that if you want to get fit twice as fast, run up hills. I used to start at Swains Lane (the hill of hell) in Highgate, run to the top, then do a big loop right around the Heath, which was around 10 miles.’
What’s your top race day tip?
‘I write affirmations on my hand – little messages to myself. When I’m struggling I can look down and see what I thought when I was fit and healthy and hadn’t started running yet. It’s like a little boost from your past self. I also ask my friends and family to give me a song and I make myself a playlist. In the marathon I put it on shuffle so that their song comes on randomly and it feels like they’re on the course with me.’
What’s a song that gets you over the finish line?
‘In my last London marathon (the one where I set the world record for fastest woman with an ileostomy), it was Whitney Houston’s ‘One Moment In Time’, just as I was crossing the finish line. That gave me goosebumps, it was like serendipity.’
Anya Culling, elite marathoner
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘Battersea Park. It really is the mecca of running – you can’t go there without seeing a run-fluencer you follow on social media or being inspired by someone else smashing their session. I used to just run one lap when I started running in lockdown, now I end up doing at least ten laps every weekend. It’s a really flat path, which is what makes it. There’s literally no elevation but there’s a corner by the running track and towards the Pear Tree Cafe that I say in my head is a downhill. It’s purely placebo, just to make me run faster. On the other side of the park there’s the Sun Gate. I always think about the sun when I get there and tell myself it’s giving me energy, it’s photosynthesising me and reminding me that I’ve chosen to do this!’
What’s your top race day tip?
‘The last 10K [of the marathon], no matter how hard you’ve trained, is always going to be painful. I always repeat to myself ‘when the going gets tough, the tough gets going’ and this is the time to really dig in and relish in that pain. I’ve been told by so many elite athletes that are better than me that you see that big breakthrough when you learn to relish in that pain and know you’re going to get through it and your legs aren’t actually gonna fall off.’
Where do you go for your post-race meal?
‘At the moment it’s a roast dinner at the Ladbroke Arms in Notting Hill. Every Sunday after my long run I go to Doughnut Time for their Ice Ice Baby doughnut.’
Charlie Dark, DJ and founder of Run Dem Crew running club
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘St Paul’s to the Tate Modern is one of the Crew’s favourites. Just running across Millennium Bridge is always exciting because you get a really great view of London. To the left you can see Tower Bridge and on the right you see Blackfriars then Westminster. It’s one of those routes that reminds me of the London Marathon because you can see that halfway point at Tower Bridge. If you can’t afford to go to Kenya for high-altitude training, the Millennium Bridge is your friend – it’s quite exposed and really windy so it definitely tests your lungs. And it’s deceptively longer than it looks! Even if it’s crowded it’s a good simulation of what it’s like to run a marathon.’
What’s your top race day tip?
‘Work out your route for how you’re getting to the marathon start line and make a Plan B just in case. People don’t realise just how many people are actually running the London Marathon, so they don’t leave themselves enough time. And don’t eat anything unfamiliar, wear anything unfamiliar or do anything unfamiliar in the week leading up to the marathon. Particularly on marathon day, because that’s where you can undo yourself.’
What’s a song that gets you over the finish line?
‘Rather than just something high-tempo, I try to curate a playlist that reflects the emotions I’m going to be feeling. Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ is a great finishing line song.’
Milly Pickles, presenter and para-athlete
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘There is nothing better than getting up and out on a sunny early morning and running anywhere along the Thames. I love running in Battersea: it’s super flat, easy to navigate, and I’ve even hosted a few of my own run clubs there. You also just cannot beat the feeling of running past Tower Bridge. It’s the perfect way to visualise the London Marathon before race day, too. It really gets me buzzing with excitement for the big day.’
What’s your top race day tip?
‘If you’re struggling, start dedicating every mile or every 5km to a specific someone. It helps you get through.’
Where do you go for your post-race meal?
‘Rudy’s Pizza – they’re sensational. It is either the ‘triple pepperoni’ or ‘salsiccia’ with extra parmesan cheese on top. A garlic aioli dip is a must – it’s criminal without.’
Savannah Sachdev, content creator
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘I have a favorite route where I start in Queen’s Park and go to Camden. From there, I run to Oxford Street, and from Oxford Street, I run to Hyde Park. It’s this really cool 15km loop, and you get to see so much of London. It’s incredible, especially if you go at 6am in the morning. Nobody’s out so you have the city to yourself. Oxford Street is the craziest place to run first thing when the sun’s rising – it feels like this untapped gem that people don't really know that they can enjoy. It just doesn’t seem real, especially if you’ve only experienced it during Christmas shopping.’
What is your top race day tip?
‘I love calling people, just chatting on the phone for a few kilometers. That is a really wasted tool that people don’t do. Another one, which you might find embarrassing, is vlogging your experience. It doesn’t need to be for social media, it can be for your family. It really helps me when I’m distracted by being creative and my mind is occupied.’
Do you have a song that gets you over the finish line?
‘There are some classic tracks, but I think you’ve got to go full silence and experience a crowd in the last 5k. You don’t want to take that away from yourself. It’s really worth making sure that you can have your name on you in some way, so people can shout it. You never get to relive your first race, so, even if you're struggling, romanticize that struggle and feel your feelings.’
Emma Kirk-Odunubi, sports scientist
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘Anywhere by the river. Run along some backend cobbled streets from Tower Bridge, come out onto Canary Wharf pier then run a little bit towards Greenwich and back again – that’s a really nice 10k. And it’s never too busy, unlike when you run the opposite way towards Battersea. You can do a little loop into St Katharine’s Dock and get into Potters Fields Park to run along the Thames and go down some cobbled paths that lead you into Wapping, past loads of cute cafes then back onto the main river path to get to the Pier. I don’t put time pressure on my runs when I’m in the city, the goal is just to enjoy being in London because it’s pretty cool to be able to run here on the daily.’
What is your top race day tip?
‘As soon as I get to a race, I queue for the toilet. Then I drop my bag and I queue for the toilet again. No matter if you’re experienced or not, it’s the best way to start, especially when it comes to the London Marathon.’
Do you have a song that gets you over the finish line?
‘I listen to a lot of drum and bass towards the end of a race. ‘Want, Need, Love (Dimension Remix)’ by Prospa and Dimension is super euphoric. It’s four minutes, I run on the beat and it just drives you home.’
Andre Coggins, coach and founder of Mafia Moves
Where is the best place to run in London?
‘I’m a huge football fan so I love to incorporate that into my running, particularly going around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. That’s where I do my community runs with Mafia Moves. They’re both continuous loops round and super flat so they’re nice for doing speed sessions like intervals or fartleks. I do a different distance every time – you can use bollards, lamposts and streetlights as your landmarks to build your own session. I love getting creative with it. Running isn’t as popular in north London as south, so I do get a lot of head turns. A lot of people think I’m crazy or tell me they’d love to try it for themselves.’
What is your top race day tip?
‘Take Vaseline! A little tub of petroleum jelly will potentially save your life on race day, whether it’s chafing on your nips or under the arms, it really comes in handy.’
Do you have a song that gets you over the finish line?
‘I try to run a marathon without music because I just want to soak in the experience. Having music can be a bit of a blocker to that.’