More than 34,000 people are set to take to the streets of central London at the Vitality Westminster Mile (Saturday 26 September) and the Vitality London 10,000 (Sunday 27 September) in what is set to be a record-breaking weekend in the capital.
The events, which will welcome participants of all ages and abilities, will see multiple Guinness World Records attempts alongside Eilish McColgan’s bid to be the most successful female runner in the history of the Vitality London 10,000 the following day.
Guinness World Records on the line at the Vitality Westminster Mile.
The Vitality Westminster Mile returns with multiple opportunities for participants and spectators to get their name in the record books this year, having set a Guinness World Record in 2025.
The Mall will welcome families in their pyjamas as they attempt to set a record for the most number of people to complete a one-mile run in their pyjamas. Hundreds more can try their luck in the Vitality Wellness Festival on Saturday, with two further record attempts possible: the most large LEGO® bricks stacked in 30 seconds and the most aerobics step ups in one minute.
Attempting the records will be Montell Douglas, who plays ‘Fire’ on the BBC TV show Gladiators. Douglas, a sprinter and former British record holder for the 100m, was the first woman to compete in different sports at the Olympic Summer (athletics) and Winter Games in 2008 (bobsleigh). She will now be looking to get into the record books once again. Douglas will also be starting the Pyjama Party Wave.
Across the day, around 9,000 people will take part in 25 separate waves, with the mascot race sure to provide entertainment as costumed characters from the TCS Mini London Marathon, Scouts, and NFL-team the Baltimore Ravens, among others, take to the Start Line. Other organisations present include the Ruth Strauss Foundation, The Daily Mile and The Body Coach Foundation.
The thrilling British Milers’ Club Bannister Mile, which has seen sub-four-minute miles in the last two years, returns with some added spice as it will incorporate the British Athletics One Mile Road Race Championships in 2026.
Among those on the Start Line are defending champion Holly Dixon and course record holder Katie Snowden (4:23). Snowden represented Team GB in the women’s road mile at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen last weekend. On the men’s side Archie Davis (3:51:09 PB), another runner who competed for Great Britain in Denmark having also represented England over the mile in the Commonwealth Games in July, will be going for the men’s title up against the likes of double National Indoor Champion Piers Copeland (3:56:52 PB) and Tom Dodd (3:56:53).
Runners to unite over shared love of activity at the Vitality London 10,000
More than 24,000 people will take part in the Vitality London 10,000 the following day, with a focus on running for yourself and your community.
Getting the runners underway will be two-time Olympian Chris Thompson. Thompson, who will also be looking to get himself in the record books as he and his family don their pyjamas at the Vitality Westminster Mile, will drop the flag at the Vitality London 10,000 having been a specialist over the distance throughout his career.
In the elite races, Eilish McColgan, the fastest woman in British history over 10K, has made a speedy recovery to get herself back onto the Start Line in her own bid for records. McColgan withdrew from the Great North Run just 10 days ago because of a blister but will now attempt to become the first woman to win the Vitality London 10,000 four times. McColgan won’t have it all her own way, with a highly competitive field including 2026 Big Half runner-up and fourth-fastest British half-marathoner in history (1:07:07) Jess Warner-Judd, and Lily Partridge.
In the men’s field, Kadar Omar Abdullahi will be targeting victory once again after his first-place finish at the 2026 Big Half. He will be up against Phil Sesemann, who secured a PB at the 2026 Berlin Half Marathon in a time of 1:01:21, with multiple world record holder Richard Whitehead also on the Start Line. Eight-times London Marathon winner David Weir headlines the wheelchair race.
Joining them will be the many thousands tackling the 10K distance for the first time, or those taking part with a community group including The Greenstreet Collective, LGBTQIA+ group Les Running Club, plus Runners and Stunners, who inspire new members through prioritising inclusivity over speed.
Continuing that theme, the final wave of the weekend will be Celebrate You, the campaign that champions body positivity, returning with thousands joining founders Bryony Gordon, journalist and author, and Helen Thorn, comedian and author, on the road.