By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
The 2026 London Marathon takes place on 26 April, and the organisers are considering staging the 2027 edition over two days, with a view to exploring how more people may take part.
This follows a record 1.1 million people applying in the public ballot to participate in the 2026 edition, which is a 36% increase on the 2025 edition.
A spokesperson has explained that:
"The 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.”
And added that:
"Together with our partners and stakeholders, we are looking at the intention for the 2027 London Marathon to take place across two days.”
In 2025, there was a record-breaking 56,640 finishers and, based on the total number of starters of 57,449, only about 5% of the total number of applicants for this year will get the chance to take part.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘