Running News Daily

The 2027 London Marathon is set to take on huge significance for British marathon runners, serving as the trial race for both the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

For the Beijing 2027 World Championships, the first two British finishers in both the elite men’s and women’s races will be eligible for selection, provided they have achieved the required World Athletics qualifying standard either before or on the day of the London Marathon.

The qualifying marks are 2:06:00 for men and 2:23:20 for women.

That puts a premium on both position and performance in London, with athletes knowing that a strong finish could potentially secure them a place on Britain’s team for the global championships in Beijing later in 2027.

The stakes will be even higher for those targeting the LA 2028 Olympics.

The first British man and first British woman across the London Marathon finish line will be pre-selected for the 2028 Olympic marathon team, provided they achieve the Olympic qualifying standards, which are expected to be confirmed by the end of 2026.

However, pre-selection will not be the final step. Those athletes will still need to demonstrate their form through performances over different distances during the 2028 season before their Olympic places can ultimately be confirmed.

With London already one of the most prestigious marathons in the world, the 2027 edition now carries an added layer of national importance.

British marathoners will have more than a coveted London Marathon result on the line. For the leading athletes, the race could become the first major step towards Beijing 2027, while simultaneously opening the door to a potential Olympic journey ending in Los Angeles in 2028.

London 2027 is shaping up to be a defining race for Britain’s marathon ambitions — with Beijing and LA firmly on the horizon.

The 2027 TCS London Marathon has found a remarkably unconventional way to settle one of its biggest questions — with a game of rock, paper, scissors.

Kenyan marathon star Sabastian Sawe and Swiss wheelchair champion Catherine Debrunner, the reigning London Marathon champions in their respective races, went head-to-head in a contest overseen by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator.

Debrunner emerged victorious, securing Sunday, April 25, 2027, for the elite women’s and women’s wheelchair races. As a result, the elite men’s and men’s wheelchair races will open the historic weekend on Saturday, April 24.

The unusual showdown has also earned its place in the record books, with Guinness World Records recognising it as the first elite marathon race start ever decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors.

The decision adds another memorable chapter to what will already be an extraordinary edition of the London Marathon. For 2027 only, the race will be staged across two days, creating the Double TCS London Marathon, with around 100,000 participants expected to take part across the weekend.

Sawe enters the story as one of the defining figures of the 2026 London Marathon. The Kenyan made history by clocking 1:59:30, becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a record-eligible competitive race.

Debrunner, meanwhile, is a four-time London Marathon wheelchair champion, making her one of the most successful athletes in the event’s history. Her victory over Sawe means the women’s elite and women’s wheelchair races will retain the traditional Sunday spotlight.

The 2026 London Marathon also produced another landmark performance on the same course, with Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa setting a women’s-only marathon world record.

The unprecedented two-day format was introduced following extraordinary demand for places. A record 1.33 million people applied for the 2027 London Marathon ballot, surpassing the previous record for any marathon.

With approximately 100,000 runners expected to finish on The Mall over the weekend — close to twice the size of the 2026 field — London is preparing for one of the biggest marathon weekends ever staged.

London Marathon Events chief executive Hugh Brasher added a playful warning after the rock-paper-scissors showdown, suggesting that while Sawe and Debrunner could settle the schedule with a game, the atmosphere would be considerably more competitive once the racing begins.

And so, before the first elite athlete has even reached the start line, the 2027 London Marathon has already made history — with its schedule decided not by the clock, but by rock, paper, scissors.