London Marathon 2027 race order set by rock

The 2027 London Marathon will be a two-day event for the first time. Its elite race order was decided by a best-of-three rock, paper, scissors contest between reigning champions Sabastian Sawe and Catherine Debrunner, overseen by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator to create a new title. Debrunner won the series two games to zero. This one-off format, called the Double, responds to record-breaking participation and aims to maximize charitable impact.

Women’s elite field to race on Sunday after historic split

Catherine Debrunner’s victory secured Sunday, April 25, 2027 for the elite women’s and women’s wheelchair races. Sabastian Sawe’s loss means the elite men's and elite men's wheelchair races will move to Saturday, April 24, 2027. The split extends through the competitive fields behind them, with men’s Championship and Good for Age runners racing on Saturday and women’s on Sunday.

The elite women's wheelchair field will start just ahead of the elite women's field on Sunday. Debrunner is a four-time London Marathon champion and the women’s wheelchair marathon world record holder, with a mark of 1:34:16 set in 2023. Sawe is the men’s elite marathon world record holder and won the 2026 London Marathon in 1:59:30, the first sub-two-hour marathon run in a record-eligible race.

LME frames two-day format as a unique sporting spectacle

London Marathon Events CEO Hugh Brasher called the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon a momentous one-off event. He emphasized it is not a test but a unique sporting spectacle designed to elevate elite athletes. Brasher stated he is particularly looking forward to the elite women’s start on Sunday, when, for the first time in London, female athletes in the Championship categories will line up behind the women’s elite field.

Organizers expect the weekend to raise more than £150 million for charity. This would be more than any single sporting event in the UK has raised before. The focus is on maximizing charitable impact after a previous event doubled participants and raised significant funds.

Mass participation and ballot process confirmed for two-day split

A record 1,338,544 people applied for the 2027 London Marathon ballot. The event is the world’s most popular marathon based on these entries. Organizers will spread 100,000 runners across the two days on the usual course from Greenwich to Westminster.

Ballot-selected participants will be assigned to one of the two days and cannot choose their day. Participants may complete the in-person race only once in 2027. Mass events on both days will include mixed fields of male, female, and non-binary participants. Hitting the Good for Age time standard only earns the right to apply. Championship and Good for Age entries open on Thursday, October 1.