The 2027 London Marathon is being run twice. For the first time in its history, the TCS London Marathon will spread across two days, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027, with 100,000 runners taking on the same course from Greenwich to Westminster. The organisers describe it as a one-off for 2027 only, so if you’ve read anything written before the announcement, much of it is out of date.
The change touches almost everything, from which day you run to how long you have, so it’s worth reading the rules before you plan around them.
Which day you run is not your choice
If you got a place, you were allocated Saturday or Sunday, and you can’t change it. The organisers say swapping with someone on the other day is against the conditions of entry and will get your place cancelled, they can’t move friends or family onto the same day, and a place deferred from an earlier year that has landed on a Sunday can’t be switched to the Saturday. If you can’t run on a Saturday for religious reasons, you’re asked to email their customer team. You can only take part on one day.
The Saturday is the tighter of the two. The race is likely to start at 9.00am and the finish line closes at 5.30pm, so the most time anyone has is 7 hours 45 minutes. If you think you’ll take longer, the organisers say not to pay for a Saturday place and to contact them instead. The Sunday is likely to start at 9.30am, and a secondary finish line in Green Park closes at 11.59pm. All of these times are marked as likely rather than confirmed.
If you do need to defer, the deadline for the Saturday is 11.59pm on Friday 23 April and for the Sunday 11.59pm on Saturday 24 April.
How you can still get in
The ballot has closed. It ran from 24 April to 1 May 2026, the results went out in July, and the organisers say they won’t reopen it. Everyone who entered was drawn for both days, and people who chose to donate their entry fee had four chances rather than two.
Good For Age and Championship entries are open now. Good For Age applications close at 4pm on Thursday 29 October, so that’s under three weeks away. There are 6,000 places, 3,000 for men and 3,000 for women, with the men’s races on Saturday and the women’s on Sunday. Only UK residents can apply, and the qualifying period ran from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. Meeting the time only lets you apply, and places go fastest first within each age group. The times to beat are:
- 18 to 39: men under 2:52, women under 3:38
- 40 to 44: men under 2:57, women under 3:43
- 45 to 49: men under 3:02, women under 3:46
- 50 to 54: men under 3:07, women under 3:53
- 55 to 59: men under 3:12, women under 3:58
- 60 to 64: men under 3:34, women under 4:23
- 65 to 69: men under 3:52, women under 4:53
- 70 to 74: men under 4:52, women under 5:53
- 75 to 79: men under 5:07, women under 6:13
- 80 to 84: men under 5:27, women under 6:38
- 85 to 89: men under 6:10, women under 7:10
- 90 and over: men under 7:20, women under 7:45
The age that counts is the one you were when you ran the time, not the age you’ll be on race day. You’ll need a link to the results page, proof of age (a passport or driving licence) and proof of UK residence, such as a utility bill from the last three months. The time must come from a certified marathon course or from the London Marathon’s own MyWay event, and if your only qualifying time is from MyWay you also need a certified in-person half marathon inside a set time. Good For Age places can’t be deferred, with an exception for pregnancy and postpartum.
Charity places are applied for directly with the charity, and 339 charities are listed on the official site, filterable by Saturday and Sunday. UK charities could apply for up to 200 Saturday places until 25 June, and Sunday charity entries had already been allocated, so check which day a charity has left. The 2027 Charity of the Year is the National Autistic Society. British Athletics club places are being given out on both days, in numbers still to be confirmed, and international runners can go through a tour operator.
MyWay: the version you can do anywhere
If you missed out, the virtual TCS London Marathon MyWay runs on the same weekend. You run the 26.2 miles outdoors, wherever you like (not on a treadmill), on either Saturday or Sunday, and the day lasts from midnight to 11.59pm. The entry fee is £40 in the UK and £55 internationally, and you get a tracking app, a free trial of the official training app, and an optional finisher’s T-shirt and medal. You can do MyWay on both days, or run the mass marathon on one day and MyWay on the other, as long as you register and pay for each separately. It’s the same medal either way. If religious reasons or a disability mean you can’t complete it on those dates, the organisers will find another arrangement and you upload your result by hand.
Everything else on the weekend
The Friday before is busy too. The TCS Mini London Marathon, for school groups, moves to Friday 23 April, with around 22,000 places as in 2026 and entries opening in January 2027, and a Friday Night Lights event is planned for the same evening. The Running Show, where you collect your bib, may be extended to run from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 April and will be open on the Saturday while day one is being run. That’s still being decided.
The route, mile by mile
It’s the same course on both days and the one the marathon has used for years: it starts in Greenwich and finishes in Westminster. The organisers’ spectator guide gives these markers, which are also a decent map of the course.
- Mile 6.5: Cutty Sark, in Greenwich
- Miles 9 to 11: the Rotherhithe peninsula
- Mile 11.5: Bermondsey
- Mile 13: Tower Bridge, around the halfway point
- Mile 14: the Highway, which you come back along at mile 22
- Miles 15 and 16: Westferry and the Isle of Dogs
- Miles 18 and 19: Canary Wharf and Heron Quays
- Mile 20: Poplar
- Mile 21: Limehouse
- Mile 23: Tower Hill
- Mile 25: Victoria Embankment
- Mile 26: Westminster
The Highway is the one place you see the same runners twice, which is why people who want a double sighting stand there. The 2027 finish is in Westminster as usual, and there’s a secondary finish line in Green Park on the Sunday.
If you’re watching
The route is the same on both days: Greenwich, Cutty Sark, Rotherhithe, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the Highway and the Embankment to Westminster. The organisers’ spectator guide on the site is from the last race and not yet updated for two days, so treat it as a guide to what to expect rather than a plan. The headline advice is to walk between spots where you can, and to avoid the big interchange stations. At the last race, Cutty Sark and Limehouse stations had queues of up to 90 minutes at peak times, Canary Wharf and Tower Hill were extremely busy, and Westminster station was exit-only from 7am to 7pm, which meant you could arrive by it but not leave.
The quieter stretches they pointed to were the Rotherhithe peninsula (miles 9 to 11, with bands and a community cheer zone), the Highway (miles 14 and 22, where you see runners twice as they go to and from Canary Wharf), Westferry, the Isle of Dogs and Poplar High Street. There were five accessible viewing areas on the course, at Cutty Sark, Canary Wharf, Rainbow Row, Tower Hill and Victoria Embankment, barrier-free with stewards, an accessible toilet, and room for a spectator with a disability and one carer.
To meet a runner afterwards, use the Meet and Greet area around Horse Guards, with lettered meeting points, and allow about 30 minutes after they cross the line. Don’t rely on your phone, because reception is patchy in the crowds. The Uber Boat by Thames Clippers ran a pier-to-pier service on the day between Woolwich and Westminster, which beats the stations. You’ll pass the Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf on the way. The organisers’ guide also links Met Police advice on protecting yourself from phone theft in the crowds.
TCS London Marathon 2027
- Address
- From Greenwich to Westminster, with a secondary finish line in Green Park on the Sunday
- Nearest
- Spectator interchange stations are very busy on the day. Last year Cutty Sark and Limehouse had queues of up to 90 minutes, and Westminster was exit-only from 7am to 7pm
- Hours
- Saturday 24 April 2027, likely start 9.00am with the finish line closing at 5.30pm, and Sunday 25 April 2027, likely start 9.30am with the secondary finish line closing at 11.59pm. All times to be confirmed
- Booking
- Good For Age and Championship applications open, with Good For Age closing at 4pm on Thursday 29 October 2026. Charity places apply direct to the charity. No swapping or changing days is allowed
- Price
- MyWay virtual entry 40 pounds UK and 55 international. Ballot closed on 1 May 2026 and will not reopen. Charity places are fundraised directly through each charity
- Standing
- The first ever two-day TCS London Marathon, a one-off in 2027 with 100,000 runners over the same Greenwich to Westminster course, plus the TCS Mini London Marathon for schools on Friday 23 April
How to get in
The day you run is allocated and cannot be changed or swapped, and you can only take part on one day. The Saturday finish line closes at 5.30pm, giving a maximum of 7 hours 45 minutes. Good For Age has 6,000 places with men on Saturday and women on Sunday, UK residents only, and closes at 4pm on 29 October 2026. The ballot has closed and will not reopen.
Where to go next
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers covers the river service, and London travel tips covers getting around on a busy day.
The Cutty Sark and Greenwich Park are at the start, and free things to do in London has more for the rest of the weekend.
Questions we get asked
When is the 2027 London Marathon?
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027. For the first and only time the TCS London Marathon is being run across two days, with 100,000 runners on the same Greenwich to Westminster route. The organisers describe the format as a one-off for 2027.
Can you still enter the 2027 London Marathon?
The ballot closed on 1 May 2026 and will not reopen. You can still apply for Good For Age or Championship places (Good For Age closes at 4pm on Thursday 29 October 2026), apply for a charity place directly with a charity, go through an international tour operator, or enter the virtual MyWay event for £40 in the UK.
What are the Good For Age times for the 2027 London Marathon?
For ages 18 to 39 it is under 2:52 for men and under 3:38 for women, rising to under 3:12 and 3:58 at 55 to 59, and under 7:20 and 7:45 at 90 and over. The qualifying period is 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, applications are for UK residents only, there are 6,000 places split equally between men and women, and meeting the time does not guarantee a place.
Can you choose which day you run the 2027 London Marathon?
No. Your allocated day is fixed and cannot be changed, swapped or moved to match a friend. You can only take part on one day in the mass event. Men's Good For Age and Championship races take place on Saturday and women's on Sunday.
What is the time limit for the 2027 London Marathon?
On Saturday 24 April the finish line closes at 5.30pm, so with a likely 9am start the most time you have is 7 hours 45 minutes. On Sunday a secondary finish line in Green Park closes at 11.59pm. If you expect to take longer than 7 hours 45 minutes, the organisers say not to pay for a Saturday place and to contact them.
What is London Marathon MyWay?
The virtual version: you run 26.2 miles outdoors, not on a treadmill, wherever you like, on Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 April 2027, with each day running from midnight to 11.59pm. It costs £40 in the UK and £55 internationally, you get a tracking app and an optional T-shirt and medal, and you can do it on both days or combine it with the mass race on the other day.
Where is the best place to watch the London Marathon?
The organisers point to quieter stretches including the Rotherhithe peninsula at miles 9 to 11, the Highway at miles 14 and 22, Westferry, the Isle of Dogs and Poplar High Street. The big interchange stations such as Cutty Sark and Limehouse had queues of up to 90 minutes at the last race. Their spectator guide had not yet been updated for the two-day format.
Who is the London Marathon Charity of the Year for 2027?
The National Autistic Society. Marie Curie was the Charity of the Year for the 2026 race.
What is the London Marathon route?
It starts in Greenwich and finishes in Westminster, passing the Cutty Sark at about mile 6.5, the Rotherhithe peninsula at miles 9 to 11, Tower Bridge at mile 13, the Highway at mile 14 and again at 22, Canary Wharf at miles 18 and 19, Limehouse at 21, Tower Hill at 23, Victoria Embankment at 25 and Westminster at 26. The route is the same on both days of the 2027 Double.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 414 in the guide.
Last checked 10 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
