The 2026 London Marathon is set to take place on Sunday 26 April but the race’s organisers are already putting plans in place to make the 2027 edition a different prospect entirely
London Marathon chiefs are in talks to extend the event across two days in 2027 to double the number of runners. The marathon has been taking place in the capital since 1981 and has been running ever since.
Traditionally, the race itself has taken place across one day but with numbers swelling, organisers are attempting to extend the event. Plans are in place for the marathon to take place over a weekend, instead of just one day.
A London Marathon spokesperson said: “The TCS London Marathon is the world ’s most popular marathon, and we are continually exploring innovative ways to enable more people to take part, while delivering positive benefits for London.
“Together with our partners and stakeholders, we are looking at the intention for the 2027 TCS London Marathon to take place across two days.
“No approval has been given at this stage. Our immediate focus is on delivering an incredible 2026 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 26 April and ensuring every participant has an amazing experience.”
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Chief executive, Hugh Brasher, also spoke out and said: “The TCS London Marathon is the world’s most popular marathon, and we are always exploring innovative ways to enable more people to take part and to deliver positive benefits for London.
“This work is carried out in close collaboration with our partners and stakeholders, whose support is essential in staging this incredible event in the heart of the capital each year.
“We are currently four weeks away from the 2026 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 26 April, and we are looking forward to amplifying one of the original aims of the London Marathon, which was ‘to show happiness and sense of achievement in a somewhat troubled world’.
“Poignantly, those words resonate even more now than they did almost 45 years ago to the day, when the first London Marathon took place.”
A Mayor of London spokesperson added: “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor looks forward to working with London Marathon partners to consider if it might be possible to host an event that will run across two days next year.”
A stunning 1,133,813 people applied through the public ballot to participate in this year’s edition, which is set to take place on 26 April. That represents a 36 per cent increase on 2024’s ballot numbers.
As a result, the event raised a huge amount of money, with the £87.3million intake representing its highest-ever amount. Last year’s event also claimed the Guinness World Record for the number of finishers in a single marathon after 56,640 completed the race.
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