The London Marathon is in advanced talks about staging a two-day event in 2027, allowing tens of thousands more runners to take part in the iconic race and to raise tens of millions more for charity.
While the Double London Marathon, as it is being called internally, has not been granted formal approval it is believed to have the backing of the mayor’s office for it to be staged on Saturday and Sunday 24-25 April next year.
The one-off event would allow a world-record 100,000 amateur runners to take part over the weekend, with 50,000 running the course on each day. It is also expected that the elite men’s and women’s races would also be staged on separate days, in what would be a celebration of top-level and grassroots sport.
Last year a record 56,540 finishers raised £87.3m for charity – making London the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event. The ambition is that 2027 would deliver a major boost to capital’s wellbeing and the economy – and also potentially raise more than £130m for charity.
The Guardian can also reveal that a series of meetings have taken place with various stakeholders. Part of the proposal is that a two‑day London Marathon would be a unique opportunity to show unity and community across the country at a time of growing social and economic division.
The plan will be welcomed by runners who have tried and failed to get into the world’s biggest marathon due to its soaring popularity. More than 1.1 million people entered the public ballot to run in 2026 – a figure that has risen from 410,000 just three years ago – and most were left disappointed.
The London Marathon did not comment directly on the proposal when approached by the Guardian on Wednesday. However it did provide a quote from its chief executive, Hugh Brasher, which said: “The TCS London Marathon is the world’s most popular marathon, and we are always exploring innovative ways to enable more people to take part and to deliver positive benefits for London.
“This work is carried out in close collaboration with our partners and stakeholders, whose support is essential in staging this incredible event in the heart of the capital each year.
“We are currently four weeks away from the 2026 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 26 April, and we are looking forward to amplifying one of the original aims of the London Marathon, which was ‘to show happiness and sense of achievement in a somewhat troubled world’.
“Poignantly, those words resonate even more now than they did almost 45 years ago to the day, when the first London Marathon took place.”
A Mayor of London spokesperson told the Guardian: “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.”
