London Marathon organisers have revealed plans for a one-off two-day event in 2027 that would allow around 100,000 people to take part, nearly double the number running on Sunday. Hugh Brasher, the race director, said the proposal would split the marathon across two days and described it as an "incredible celebration".
One day would be devoted to faster women, with the women’s elite race, women’s championship and good-for-age runners all taking place alongside a mixed mass participation race. The other day would focus more on the men’s races and would also include a second mass participation race for men and women. Brasher said the format was designed to keep the event broad while giving elite runners a clear stage of their own.
Brasher said organisers believe more than £130m would be raised for good causes and that the event would deliver £400m of economic and social benefit to the country, citing research from Sheffield Hallam University. He said the idea had been overwhelmingly positively received and that talks had already been held with the so both days would get significant coverage. The scale alone would make london marathon 2027 one of the biggest changes in the event’s 45-year history.
The proposal is still not final. Brasher said consultations would take place with the police, fire service, ambulances, boroughs, Transport for London, the mayor and private landowners, with conversations due this week and next week. He said organisers hoped to get the plans signed off, but called it a huge undertaking for both the marathon team and London itself.
That caution sits alongside the push to make the event bigger. Brasher said organisers did not want to lose the affection the marathon has built with runners, fans and Londoners over four and a half decades, adding that the plan was very much a one-off. For now, the race is moving toward a format that would expand participation without turning a permanent corner.
