Apple just partnered with the London Marathon — here’s what it might signal for the Apple Watch

The London Marathon is one of the most iconic races in the world — trust me, I’m running it for the fifth time this April. Yesterday, Apple announced it was now an official partner of the TCS London Marathon, and it could hint at bigger future announcements for the Apple Watch.

The partnership places Apple amongst some of the biggest names in running, as a sponsor of one of the biggest races in the world. More than 1.13 million people entered the ballot to run the 2026 London Marathon, with this year’s race taking place on Sunday, April 26.

For Apple, this looks to be the next move in its pursuit to be taken seriously as a running wearable, not ‘just’ a lifestyle watch.

Apple has always been more than capable of tracking your runs, but with recent updates, the watch has gotten smarter, especially with the launch of the Apple Watch Ultra 3, with a 42-hour battery life, dual-band GPS, and it’s lap button, which is a massive win for runners.

You can read what happened when our resident 2:25 marathon runner, Nick Harris-Fry, raced a marathon with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Garmin Fenix 8 Pro here.

Partnering with a global event like the London Marathon further signifies this commitment to running. Personally, as a female runner, I’d love the opportunity to choose a smaller Apple Watch Ultra 3 that would sit more comfortably on my wrist as I clocked up the miles.

What’s more, when comparing the Ultra 3 to any Garmin, it always falls short on battery life.

Of course, as always, Apple remains tight-lipped about future plans and announcement but what Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of Fitness Technologies has said is: “The London Marathon is one of the world’s greatest sporting events and a powerful celebration of the global running community. Apple’s technologies support runners at every level with powerful tools and insights that help them stay motivated, track their progress, and better understand their health and fitness. We couldn’t be more excited to be a partner of the 2026 TCS London Marathon.”

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