2027 Double TCS London Marathon to host the UK Athletics Marathon Championships

The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon will host the UK Athletics (UKA) Championships and be the official trial races for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

For the first time in its history, for one year only, the 2027 TCS London Marathon will take place over two days – April 24 and 25 – with the men’s elite race taking place on Saturday 24 April and the women’s elite race taking place on Sunday 25 April.

The historic occasion will once again host the UKA Marathon Championships – won in 2026 by Eilish McColgan and Mahamed Mahamed – and be used to select the marathon team for the 2027 World Championships and will form part of the selection process for the 2028 Olympic Games.

2027 World Athletics Championships

The first two British athletes to cross the Finish Line in the elite male and female races at the 2027 TCS London Marathon will be given the opportunity to be selected for the marathon events at the 2027 World Championships in Beijing, provided they have the following World Athletics qualifying times prior to or on the day of the event:

Men: 2:06:00

Women: 2:23:20

LA 2028 Olympic Games

The first male and first female to cross the Finish Line of the 2027 TCS London Marathon will be ‘pre-selected ‘, provided they have the Olympic qualifying times, which are expected to be released by the end of the year. 

‘Pre-selection’ will require further demonstration of performances in the 2028 season across race distances in order to confirm the nomination to represent Team GB at the 2028 LA Olympic Games. Further details will be available in the Selection Policy when it is released in due course.

Tom Craggs, UK Athletics Endurance Performance Lead said:

“The TCS London Marathon is the greatest marathon in the world and provides a fantastic platform for British athletes to compete on the highest stage.

“British marathon running continues to go from strength to strength, and we look forward to seeing athletes take on this unique opportunity to compete for both national titles and world and Olympic selection.” 

Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, organisers of the TCS London Marathon, said:

“The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon is already set to be a stunning one-off occasion, with 100,000 people taking part across two days and the elite men’s and women’s races split across the weekend for the first time.

“By making it the official trial race for both the 2027 World Athletics Championships and the 2028 Olympic Games, as well as the 2027 UK Athletics Marathon Championships, UK Athletics has added another unique dimension to the event. The country’s best marathon runners will also be racing for places at not one, but two major global championships.”

The British Athletics selection policy for the marathon event for the 2027 World Championships and the advance notice for the 2028 Olympic Games marathon can be found here.