London Marathon Sets 2027 Race Days With Rock-Paper-Scissors Duel

London Marathon Events used a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide which day will host the elite men's and women's races at next year's two-day event, with men's world record holder Sabastian Sawe and women's wheelchair world record holder Catherine Debrunner playing it out for the honor, according to BBC Sport.

Debrunner beat Sawe in the contest, which the pair agreed would determine who got the traditional Sunday slot. Both athletes were 2026 London Marathon champions in their respective races. The result sends the elite men's and men's wheelchair races to Saturday, April 24, with the elite women's and women's wheelchair races following on Sunday.

How did organizers decide the men's and women's race days?

The method was informal by design. Sawe and Debrunner confirmed beforehand that the winner would claim Sunday — the day the London Marathon has run on for decades — and the loser would take Saturday. Debrunner won.

Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, framed the moment as part showmanship, part practical solution to a scheduling problem created by splitting the event for the first time. "Sabastian and Catherine's rock, paper, scissors battle was an entertaining way to decide which day would host each elite race," Brasher said, according to BBC Sport.

"Splitting the elite races will allow us to shine an even brighter spotlight on the extraordinary athletes taking part." — Hugh Brasher, chief executive, London Marathon Events

Why is the 2027 London Marathon split across two days?

Organizers announced earlier this year that the 2027 race would run over two days rather than the usual single Sunday, a one-off change intended to let more entrants take part. The move followed a record ballot: 1.33 million people applied to run, according to BBC Sport.

Splitting the race also gives each elite field — men's and women's — a dedicated day rather than sharing the spotlight on a single morning, which Brasher said was central to the decision.

How many runners are expected in 2027?

London Marathon Events expects a record 100,000 participants to take part across the two days in 2027, and organizers estimate the race will raise more than £150 million for charitable causes, per BBC Sport. Both figures would mark new highs for the event, which has grown from a single-day mass-participation race into what organizers are calling a momentous one-off edition.

By the numbers

• 1.33 million — people who entered the ballot for the 2027 race
• 100,000 — expected participants across the two days, a record
• £150 million+ — estimated charitable funds to be raised

What other elite race changes are planned?

Beyond splitting the marathon by gender across two days, organizers are also adjusting the women's field. For the first time in the race's history, the women's championship categories will line up directly behind the women's elite field. The women's elite wheelchair race will start just ahead of the elite women runners on their day.

"Our outstanding elite women's wheelchair field will begin the action just ahead of them, creating a true celebration of women's marathon racing," Brasher said.

The main mass-participation events on both Saturday and Sunday will include a mixed field of male, female and non-binary runners, according to BBC Sport, meaning the split applies specifically to the elite professional races rather than the general entrant pool.

What happens after the 2027 edition?

BBC Sport's report describes the two-day format as a one-off for 2027, tied to the unusually large ballot response rather than a permanent shift in how London stages its marathon. Organizers have not indicated in the reporting whether the split-day structure, or the rock-paper-scissors method of assigning race days, will return in future years.

For now, the arrangement puts Sawe — who ran a sub-two-hour marathon time in this year's race — on the Saturday card, while Debrunner, the reigning women's wheelchair world record holder, headlines Sunday, the day long associated with London's marathon tradition.

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