- Sebastian Vettel ran the London Marathon and broke the three-hour barrier.
- Four-time F1 champion raises £8,873 for two charities rooted in motorsport history.
- A historic day unfolded as road running records fell across the capital.
Sebastian Vettel ran the 2026 London Marathon in 2 hours, 59 minutes and 8 seconds on Sunday, becoming one of the more unlikely sub-three-hour finishers in the race’s history.
The four-time Formula 1 world champion was 38 years old and running the 26.2-mile distance for the first time.
He ran alongside F1 journalist Tom Clarkson to raise money for two charities with strong ties to the motorsport world.
Together, the pair aimed to raise £5,000 for the Grand Prix Trust and the Brain & Spine Foundation. By the time the dust had settled, they had raised £8,873, according to Motorsport.com.
Running for the F1 family
The two charities carry significant histories. Sir Jackie Stewart founded the Grand Prix Trust in the 1980s to support people from the F1 community who fall on hard times.
The Brain & Spine Foundation was set up in 1992 by former F1 medical chief Professor Sid Watkins and neurosurgeon Peter Hamlyn to improve care for people with neurological conditions.
Vettel and Clarkson gave both organisations a meaningful boost. Their combined fundraising effort exceeded their original target by nearly 78%.
A metronomic performance
Vettel wore race number 45294 and started at 9:35 a.m. local time.
He reached the halfway point in 1:29:18, then ran the second half in 1:29:50. The gap between those two splits was just 32 seconds over 26.2 miles.
His 5K splits held mostly between 20 and 21 minutes throughout. It was the kind of pacing discipline that defined his grand prix career, where managing tyres over long stints was as important as outright speed.
Clarkson also finished well, crossing the line in 3:58:51.
Vettel: “I set myself an ambitious goal”
Vettel spoke to BBC Sport after finishing, and he was candid about what the day meant to him.
“It felt very long, but it was my first time, so I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
“But it’s been amazing how many people there were next to the course, and how happy everyone is, so it’s a really great experience.”
He also addressed the target he had privately set before the race.
“I always wanted to do a marathon. I obviously always kept fit, did a lot of running, cycling, so I thought it’s about time,” Vettel told assembled media at the finish. “I set myself an ambitious goal, which I managed to achieve. I wanted to be just below three hours, which I did, so I’m very happy with that.”
He was quick to put the time in perspective, though.
“But even more so happy that I finished, and having lived the experience, I can only recommend for people to sign up and try to do it,” he added.
A historic day in London
Vettel’s run came on a day when road running itself made history.
Kenyan athlete Sabastian Sawe won the men’s race in 1:59:30, the first officially recorded sub-two-hour marathon in competition. Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also finished under two hours.
Several other well-known names posted strong times among the wider field.
Former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey finished in 3:00:30, and cricket legend Alastair Cook, running for the Ruth Strauss Foundation, came home in 3:05:15.
Actress Cynthia Erivo crossed the line in 3:21:40, cutting 14 minutes from her previous personal best.
One of the most moving stories of the day also came from the motorsport world. Former Superbike World Champion Sylvain Guintoli ran all 42.195 kilometres in motorcycle leathers to honour his son Luca, who died very young.
He raised £137,200 for PASIC.
Life after F1
Vettel stepped away from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season. He had raced 299 times across stints with BMW Sauber, Toro Rosso, Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin, winning 53 races and four world titles.
Since retiring, he has focused on his family, environmental causes and charitable work.
Sunday offered a glimpse of what remains. The same qualities that made him a four-time champion, namely patience, consistency and an obsessive attention to pacing, carried him through 26.2 miles on a warm London morning.
He crossed the line under three hours, raised nearly £9,000 for charity, and walked away satisfied with both.
