HIRE FREQUENCIES MAKES MARATHON DEBUT WITH ALL-MARTIN AUDIO DEPLOYMENT
In its 15th anniversary year, London-based event production company Hire Frequencies made its debut at the TCS London Marathon 2026, supplying all-Martin solutions across the Finish Line, Fan Zone and TCS London Mini Marathon at this year’s record-breaking event.
“We first met the Marathon events team two years ago,” explains Will Smith, Founder and MD of Hire Frequencies. “We were convinced we could take the production values to a new level with high-quality sound systems and were delighted to win the project this year.”
The company drew on its expanding Martin Audio inventory - built up over the past two years - to deliver an all-Martin deployment across the three zones. This included FlexPoint Series, TORUS and Wavefront Precision (WPS), all powered by iKON iK42 4-channel amplifiers.
“Our technical director Ritchie Nicola and technical manager Kieran Hall were key to the specification and deployment,” continues Smith. “We worked closely with the Marathon events team to ensure everything was right first time.”
Everything performed perfectly..."
Prior to the main event, the TCS London Mini Marathon saw schools invited to run, jog, walk or wheel either one mile or 2.6K through central London, culminating in a finish-line crossing and medal presentation. Here, Hire Frequencies deployed a Martin Audio system comprising four TORUS T1230 array elements and a pair of SXC115 subwoofers, together with a distributed system of eight FlexPoint FP8 loudspeakers.
“TORUS was ideal for this site thanks to its quick deployment and high output,” says Smith. “It delivers exceptional clarity with strong mid-range throw, perfect for the application. The SXC115 is compact and fast to deploy, while the FP8s worked perfectly as infills across the wide crowd area. They didn’t have subs at the Mini Marathon previously, so we were really able to elevate the experience—we had lots of positive feedback.”
For the TCS London Marathon itself, Hire Frequencies deployed a Martin Audio WPS Wavefront Precision super-compact line array for the Fan Zone, which hosted music playback and live performances throughout the day. The ground-stacked system featured four WPS array elements per side, supported by two SXCF118 subwoofers per side.
“The Fan Zone was effectively a mini festival stage,” says Smith. “WPS was the ideal solution. With the help of Martin Audio’s DISPLAY software, we set the throw length to 50m and used the Hard Avoid feature to assist with noise control on stage.”
Meanwhile, along the finishing straight, 16 Martin Audio FlexPoint FP12 loudspeakers were distributed across the final 300 metres, delivering commentators’ encouragement and motivational music to runners approaching the line.
“The FP Series are compact and punchy, making them ideal for the finish line where space was limited between hospitality areas,” notes Smith. “Even the commentators remarked on the difference, describing the improvement on last year as ‘chalk and cheese’ in terms of both impact and sound quality.”
The system was deployed over two days while coordinating with other contractors across the busy site, and fully de-rigged within just two hours post-event.
“Everything performed perfectly - that’s why most of our inventory is now Martin Audio,” concludes Smith. “The marathon broke the Guinness World Record for the most finishers, as well as world records in both the men’s and women’s races. For me, it was an incredibly proud moment to have our team supporting such a globally recognised event.”