London Marathon organisers and partners are exploring expanding the event to run across two days in 2027.
Nothing has been finalised or approved, but the proposals form part of the organiser’s ambitions to enable more people to take part in the event, and have the support from the mayor’s office.
The London Marathon is the world’s most popular and oversubscribed marathon event, with a world record 1,133,813 people entering the ballot for the 2026 race.
“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,” a London Marathon Events spokesperson said.
“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.”
A record 56,640 people completed the 2025 London Marathon, with £87.3million raised for charity.
The number of runners applying for the race has increased significantly in recent years. The 1.13 million people entering the ballot for 2026 represented a 36 per cent increase from the 840,318 applicants in 2025. The 2024 race had 578,304 apply through the ballot.
The operation to run the event involves a number of major road closures and public transport disruption due to the mass crowds throughout the day across the city. The race begins in Greenwich in south east London and ends on The Mall in St. James’s Park in the capital’s centre.
A mayor of London spokesperson 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.”
The London Marathon first took place in 1981 and is part of the World Marathon Majors group, alongside Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, New York and Chicago. Sydney officially became the world’s seventh major marathon in 2025.
The 2026 London Marathon takes place on April 26.