Inside changes made to London Marathon ahead of 2027 edition
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 19.06.26. | 17:35
The move comes months after history was made on various fronts earlier this year
The London Marathon will be staged in two days in 2027, with the men’s and women’s elite events set to be spread separately across the weekend.
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Race organisers confirmed the development on Friday, 19 June, terming the one-off occurrence as their “most ambitious evolutions to date.”
Part of the reasoning to hold the marathon across Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 April, is to accommodate over 100,000 runners to take part in the event which has so far garnered over 1.33 million applications.
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"The 2027 London Marathon double is our most ambitious evolution to date - a once-in-a-generation one-time-only reimagining of what a marathon and city-wide celebration of activity can be," Hugh Brasher, Chief Executive of London Marathon Events, said.
"By expanding to 100,000 runners across two days, we're opening the door for more people, more charities and more communities to take part in the world's greatest marathon. We believe that more than £150m can be raised for good causes and the UK economy will have a £400m social and economic benefit.
We are grateful for the vision and support of the Mayor of London, the councils on the route, the emergency services, and all the stakeholders involved who have given their support to enable this world first event to be held for London and the UK."
Last year, the race marked history on many fronts, including: attracting a record 1,133,813 applicants, a record 59,830 finishers, and became the biggest annual one-day fundraising event in the world, with more than £90m raised to date for charity.
On the course, history was also made as Kenyan marathoner Sabastian Sawe shattered the world record by becoming the first man to run under two hours in an official marathon.
The 31-year-old recorded an astonishing time of 1:59.30, in a race that also saw Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also dip below the two-hour barrier.
“London is the sporting capital of the world and I am delighted that, for one year only in 2027, the world famous London Marathon will expand into a two-day event,” Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said.
As part of the plan, elite women, elite female wheelchair athletes, championship and 'good for age' women are set to have their event on one day, with the elite men, elite male wheelchair athletes, championship and 'good for age' men leading the mass event on the other.
The Mini London Marathon will be held on the Friday (23 April), when more than 20,000 young participants are expected to take part.