Running and London go together like a pint and a packet of crisps, fish with chips and Ant and Dec (okay, I’ll stop now). It’s also well known that once Londoners reach a certain stage of life, running becomes a quintessential part of their lives.
I, personally, can’t relate, but for those Londoners who love to run, good news could be coming soon when it comes to one of London’s biggest sporting events, the London Marathon.
The Guardian have announced today that instead of the usual one-day event, in 2027 the marathon could take place over two consecutive days.
What are the new plans for the London Marathon 2027?
It has been reported that the “double marathon” could happen on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027.
While the new format hasn’t got official sign off, it is said that the mayor’s office is backing the new plans.
Why will the marathon take place over two days?
In 2025, there were 56,640 finishers at the event, which already makes it the world’s largest marathon. The ballot for 2026 saw 1.1 million applicants, meaning a lot of disappointed wannabe runners.
By extending the sporting event over two days, more amateur athletes will be able to participate, taking the total number of runners to 100,000.
With more runners also comes the opportunity to raise more money for charity. Last year £87.3million was raised, and the hope is that even more money could be raised by allowing more participants.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London has said “London is the sporting capital of the world and the Mayor looks forward to working with London Marathon and partners to consider if it might be possible to host an event that will run across two days next year.”
With this year’s marathon only being a few weeks away, we’re looking forward to seeing what next year could bring.