London, United Kingdom ยท Rev
London Marathon 2027 runs on two days: 7h45 on Saturday, open until midnight on Sunday
The 2027 TCS London Marathon will open full marathon on both April 24 and 25. The start is in Greenwich on both days, but finish and the closing time differ.
The same race will run on consecutive days. On Saturday, April 24, 2027, and Sunday, April 25, the TCS London Marathon will cover 42.195km on both days.
So far, that is only a matter of scale. The real difference is finish.
Saturday runners finish on The Mall, while Sunday runners enter through a separate finish at Green Park. Time limit differs, too.
Saturday allows 7 hours 45 minutes, with The Mallโs finish closing at 17:30. Green Park remains open until 23:59:59 on Sunday.
When checking the London Marathon schedule, these are the two numbers to look at before the dates.
1A race held over two days, with finish in two locations
The 47th TCS London Marathon, in 2027, will be split between Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. Both days will have full marathon, with the start areas at Greenwich and Blackheath on each day. The split comes at the finish.
Saturdayโs course follows the traditional finish, turning in front of Buckingham Palace and continuing onto The Mall. On Sunday, a separate finish will stand at Green Park. The final 200m will look different despite the same 26.2-mile distance.
Start times also differ. Saturday is 9:00, and Sunday is 9:30. Organizers still list both times as provisional; confirmed times will be communicated separately to entrants.
Individual wave start times will arrive by email about 3 weeks before the race. The 2026 race set a Guinness record with 59,830 finishers. The event has grown beyond what one day can hold, and splitting it across two days is the answer.
TCS London MarathonSat, April 24, 2027 ยท D-208 ยท London, United KingdomSee race details
2Cut-offs: 7 hours 45 minutes on Saturday; midnight on Sunday
Saturdayโs time limit is 7 hours 45 minutes. With a 9:00 start, The Mallโs finish closes at 17:30. Sunday remains open until 23:59:59.
From a 9:30 start, that amounts to more than 14 hours. On paper, Sunday looks endlessly generous, but it is not. Sunday has its own 8-hour pace.
Once runners fall behind that line, some timing equipment begins to be removed, and volunteers then bib by hand to confirm location and progress. In other words, midnight is not a time that guarantees a recorded finish; it is closer to the time when the course is cleared. Anyone planning to run beyond 8 hours should know that timing will not operate normally through that section.
For runners who can finish within 6 hours 30 minutes, the two days are effectively the same race. If that mark is in doubt, the assigned day can determine whether the finish is recorded.
3Color-coded start zones and bib pickup at ExCeL London
The starting areas in Greenwich are color-coded. Blue, Green and Yellow start line are a 10-minute walk from Blackheath station; Pink is 10 minutes from Maze Hill station; and Red is 20 minutes from Greenwich station. The color determines which train to take and when to leave home.
Runners starting from different areas do not come together until Woolwich, just before the 3-mile mark. On race day, presenting bib provides free travel on Southeastern trains, the DLR, the Elizabeth line, the Underground, the Overground and buses. Signs at stations in central London advise passengers not to tap at the gates.
The first DLR services run at about 5:30 from Tower Gateway and Lewisham, and at about 7:00 from Bank and the rest of the network. Thames Clippers run to Greenwich Pier every 20 minutes. But one task must be completed before then.
Bib can be collected only at the Running Show at ExCeL London; race-day collection is not available. In 2026, the show was open from 10:00 to 20:00 Wednesday through Friday and from 8:30 to 17:30 on Saturday. If the runner cannot attend, someone else can collect it by following the procedure in the participant guide.
That is why a day should be set aside before planning the journey to London.
4The first 3 miles are the most dangerous stretch of this course
Course is deceptive early on. From mile 1 to mile 3, the road is wide and trends downhill, letting the legs move forward almost on their own. It is also the most crowded stretch.
The raceโs guidance on pacer is firm: do not fight for space on either side, do not accelerate on the descent around mile 3, and hold a straight line until settling into the marathon pace. The 20 seconds saved here can become 2 minutes later. From mile 4 to mile 14, the course is relatively flat, with a gentle net descent continuing.
Those 10 miles explain why the London Marathon course is known as a course where fast times are possible. One awkward climb comes just before Tower Bridge. Once across the bridge and over the Thames, the course reaches exactly half marathon.
The condition in which runners pass half marathon has already determined roughly half of what comes next.
5The Closing Miles: Canary Wharf to the Finish on The Mall
Between 15 miles and 20 miles, course enters Canary Wharf, threading between the high-rises. The road narrows, passes through the Westferry underpass and picks up wind as the buildings create a tunnel effect. There are several turns, too.
Anyone expecting a long, fast straight may lose rhythm first. Just after 21 miles, Limehouse features a 250m stretch of Rainbow Row. The crowds thicken again after it.
The final 5 miles run along The Highway and through Tower Hill before reaching Victoria Embankment. Flat and laid out beside the river, this section suits tired legs. After Parliament Square and Birdcage Walk, the final turn in front of Buckingham Palace opens onto finish on The Mall.
The route after the finish is worth checking in advance, too. The nearest station is St Jamesโs Park, while Westminster station operates as exit-only that day. The Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line, buses and DLR are free until 20:00.
The meeting area for supporters is up to a 30-minute walk from finish.
6Mile-by-Mile Guide to Water, Sports Drinks, Gels and Toilets
The race's aid plan makes sense only alongside the mile markers. Water stations appear every 3 miles from mile 3 through mile 12, then every 2 miles from mile 12 through mile 24. The spacing tightens as the race goes on.
Sports drink stations are at miles 7, 15, 21, and 23; gels are available at miles 13 and 19. Separate refill points for runners carrying bottles or hydration packs are located at miles 5, 10, 14, 17, and 20. Toilets are available at the start and finish, and at every mile from mile 1 through mile 24.
Accessible toilets are at the start and finish, at miles 1 and 2, and then at every even-numbered mile through mile 24. Aid station is accessible to wheelchair users, and volunteers can hand over drinks or open lids. Bladder pads and menstrual products are available at information points and aid station.
The finish area includes a sensory-relief space, a nursing and baby-care area, and a multifaith prayer room. Pacer run within their assigned start wave and wear a flag on their backs showing their target finish time. The difference between runners who have memorized the aid-station map and those who have not usually becomes clear after mile 20.
7Missed the Ballot? Charity and Good For Age Entry Options
A World Athletics Platinum Label race and AIMS-certified course. Saying that getting into this race is harder than running it is no exaggeration. The 2027 general ballot opened at 9:00 on April 24, 2026, closed at 16:00 on May 1, and drew 1,338,544 applicants.
Results were sent on July 9, 2026. Three routes remain. For a charity entry, the organisation pays ยฃ400 plus VAT per place, while the runner typically pledges to raise ยฃ2,000โ2,500.
It is the most reliable route to a confirmed place. Good For Age is open only to UK residents. The 6,000 places are split evenly between 3,000 men and 3,000 women.
The standard for ages 18โ39 is 2 hours 52 minutes for men and 3 hours 38 minutes for women. The Championship Entry is the higher tier, with 1,200 places and standards of 2 hours 38 minutes for men and 3 hours 10 minutes for women. The standards for the 2027 edition will be published in autumn 2026.
The two time-based routes have one catch. Meeting the standard provides eligibility to apply, not a guaranteed place; if applications exceed the field size, entries are allocated to the fastest times. In some years, that means someone who ran 2 hours 51 minutes misses out.
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The field falls into three groups. For runners targeting a time around sub-3, the answer is the sustained descent from mile 4 to mile 14; the race clock is made on those 10 miles. Factoring in the wind and turns around Canary Wharf after mile 15 helps keep the target pace intact.
For runners focused on finishing, the assigned day comes first. If 7 hours 45 minutes feels tight, the Sunday Green Park finish is the safer option. The trade-off is that once the 8-hour pace is passed, timing operates differently from normal.
For runners living outside the United Kingdom, the realistic route in is a charity place. A fundraising pledge in the ยฃ2,000 range may feel substantial, but it offers a way to plan rather than wait again for a ballot that draws more than 1 million applicants.
The next step is to choose between two paths. To get in on a qualifying time, check the 2027 Championship Entry standards when they are released in autumn 2026.
For the charity route, compare each organizationโs fundraising pledge and deadlines first. Either way, set aside a day to visit ExCeL London before building the rest of the itinerary.
Entry period ยท Accommodation
| Races | Itinerary | Entry period | INFO. |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCS London Marathon | Sat, April 24, 2027 | Fri, April 24, 2026 ~ Fri, May 1, 2026 | Accommodation ยท See race details |
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