London Marathon Events has announced that the 2026 Vitality Westminster Mile, on Saturday 26 September, will incorporate the British Athletics One Mile Road Race Championships for the first time since 2019. The championships will be incorporated into the British Milers’ Club (BMC) Bannister Mile, which has been held at the event since 2024. Pacemakers will assist men looking to break the famous four-minute barrier, and women aiming to go inside 4:20. 

The BMC Westminster Mile allows elite club athletes to run an officially measured mile road race on the Vitality Westminster Mile course, starting on The Mall and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace, in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. 

Male athletes will be bidding to join an elite club of one athlete who has broken the historic four-minute mile mark at the Vitality Westminster Mile. Joe Wigfield (pictured) went under that barrier in 2024 (3:58) and in 2025 (3:59) as part of the BMC Bannister Mile. He remains the only person to run under the mark, first set by Roger Bannister in 1954, in the 12-year history of the event. Katie Snowden set the current female course record in 2024 (4:23). 

Elaine Rayner, Event Lead at the Vitality Westminster Mile, said: “We are delighted that, for the first time since 2019, the British Athletics One Mile Road Championships will be incorporated into the Vitality Westminster Mile. There are very few opportunities for the best middle-distance athletes in the country to race over a mile on the road in the UK, and the Vitality Westminster Mile provides a great platform to race against the best in the country on a fast and iconic course.”

The Vitality Westminster Mile was launched in 2013 as a legacy event from the 2012 London Olympic Games. Mile races are held in numerous waves, and all standards are welcome. It's completely free for children under 11, and there's a free Festival Area in Green Park to celebrate your achievements with family and friends. 

To learn more and to enter one of the mass participation events, visit the Vitality Westminster Mile website here...   

Results and reports are at the runABC South race listing here

Image courtesy of London Marathon Events