Could the London Marathon be a two-day event in 2027?

Could the London Marathon be a two-day event in 2027?

AW
Published: 25th March, 2026
Updated: 25th March, 2026
BY Athletics Weekly

According to The Guardian, the proposed idea has yet to receive formal approval but has had the backing of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The London Marathon could potentially expand to a two-day event next year, with up to 100,000 people taking part in the British capital.

That's according to The Guardian, which states that organisers are in advanced talks over the proposal, the idea being that 50,000 people cross the finish line on each day.

Although the idea has not had formal approval yet, it has received the green light from the mayor's office to be staged over the weekend on April 24 and 25 next year.

An extended 2027 London Marathon is currently viewed as a "one-off event", which could also see the elite men's and women's races split over the two days.

London Marathon (London Marathon Events)

The ambition is that over £130m could be raised for charity, given 56,540 finishers raised £87.3m for charity at last year's edition. It made London the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event.

Over 1.1 million people applied to enter the 2026 London Marathon, up from 840,318 applications last last year and 410,000 three years ago.

The total number of UK applications for 2026 was 869,803, of which 433,775 were men (49.87% of the total), 430,983 from women (49.55% of the total) and 5044 (0.58% of the total) from non-binary applicants. There were a further 264,011 applications from non-UK residents in the international ballot.

The London Mini Marathon has, in recent years, taken place on a Saturday, with more than 15,000 children getting involved in last year's 40th edition of the junior event.

Stay in THE KNOW  

Stay in the know

Sign up to the free AW newsletter here

AW is the UK’s No.1 website, magazine and social media hub for road racing, track and field, cross country, walks, trail running, fell running, mountain running and ultra running, avidly followed by runners, athletes and fans alike.
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved
cross
Secret Link