The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon will double as the UK Athletics Marathon Championships and the official trial for both the 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the LA 2028 Olympic Games, with the leading Britons in each race eligible for selection.

The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon will host the UK Athletics (UKA) Marathon Championships and serve as the official trial race for both the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the LA 2028 Olympic Games, organisers have confirmed.

For the first time in its history, and for one year only, the London Marathon will be held over two days, on April 24 and 25, with the elite men's race on the Saturday and the elite women's race on the Sunday. The event will again host the UKA Marathon Championships – won in 2026 by Eilish McColgan and Mahamed Mahamed – with selection for two global championships now riding on the outcome.

For the 2027 World Championships, the first two British finishers in the elite men's and women's races will be eligible for selection for the marathon in Beijing, provided they have achieved the World Athletics qualifying times of 2:06:00 (men) and 2:23:20 (women) before or on the day of the race.

The Olympic route is more direct: the first British man and first British woman across the line will be "pre-selected" for LA 2028, provided they hit the Olympic qualifying times, which are expected to be confirmed by the end of the year. Pre-selection will still require those athletes to back it up with performances across race distances through the 2028 season before their Team GB place is confirmed, with full detail to follow in UKA's selection policy.

Tom Craggs, UK Athletics' endurance performance lead, said: "The TCS London Marathon is the greatest marathon in the world and provides a fantastic platform for British athletes to compete on the highest stage. British marathon running continues to go from strength to strength, and we look forward to seeing athletes take on this unique opportunity to compete for both national titles and world and Olympic selection."

Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said: "The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon is already set to be a stunning one-off occasion, with 100,000 people taking part across two days and the elite men's and women's races split across the weekend for the first time.

"By making it the official trial race for both the 2027 World Athletics Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games, as well as the 2027 UK Athletics Marathon Championships, UK Athletics has added another unique dimension to the event. The country's best marathon runners will also be racing for places at not one, but two major global championships."