London Marathon 2027 training plan

When to start training

Every plan counts back from race day, so the start date depends on how many weeks you give it. These are the Mondays each length begins.

Start later and the builder still makes a plan, shorter and built as far as it safely can. Start earlier and it begins 24 weeks out, with easy running until then.

The course

For 2027 only, the race runs over two days. The organisers say the route is the same on Saturday and Sunday, from Greenwich to Westminster. They publish the route and their pacers' notes, but not an elevation profile. In short:

• Miles 1 to 3. Three start lines in south-east London. The three fields meet just before Mile 3, in Woolwich. Wide roads, net downhill and crowded, with a drop around Mile 3. Settle into your pace; do not weave, and do not speed up on the descent.
• Miles 4 to 14. Fairly flat, still slightly downhill overall. You loop round the Cutty Sark between Miles 6 and 7, then go through Rotherhithe and Bermondsey. A short rise comes just before Tower Bridge, then you cross the river to halfway.
• Miles 15 to 20. East to Westferry, round Mudchute, Docklands and Canary Wharf. Tall buildings and the Westferry underpass can upset GPS, it can be windy, and there are a few tight turns. Pace off the mile markers here.
• Mile 21 to the finish. Back along The Highway, then Tower Hill and Victoria Embankment, which the pacers call a kind stretch for tired legs. Right at Westminster Bridge with about a mile to go, then Parliament Square, Birdcage Walk and the finish on The Mall.

Drinks, as the course page listed them in October 2026: water every three miles from Mile 3 to Mile 12, then every two miles to Mile 24. A sports drink at Miles 7, 15, 21 and 23, gels at Miles 13 and 19, and refill points at Miles 5, 10, 14, 17 and 20. Check the 2027 participant guide nearer the day.

Start times: the organisers say Saturday is likely to start at 09:00 and Sunday at 09:30, to be confirmed to runners later. On Saturday the finish closes at 17:30, so you have at most 7 hours 45 minutes. On Sunday a second finish line in Green Park stays open until midnight.

Pace band

Set to even pace in mile splits, to match the mile markers the organisers tell you to pace by. We have not shaped the splits to the course: the organisers publish no elevation figures, and we will not guess them.

What the course notes do tell you: the start runs downhill and the first half drifts slightly down, so you may be a few seconds up by Mile 3 without trying. Leave it there rather than adding to it. Expect to lose a little on the rise before Tower Bridge and in the crowds, and do not chase it back in one mile.

Weather in April

The Met Office's 1991 to 2020 averages for Heathrow, the long-running station in west London, give April an average high of 15.0°C and an average low of 6.0°C. It rains on about 9 days in the month, 42 mm in total.

These are whole-month averages, not a forecast. The race starts in the morning, but slower runners are still out in the afternoon, usually the warmest part of the day. Check the forecast in race week.

Fuelling and heat

Practise race-day fuel on your long runs, not for the first time on the day. The fuelling calculator works out carbs per hour and when to take each gel for your goal time. If race week turns warm, the heat pace calculator shows how much to slow down.

How to get a place

All the usual ways in still apply for 2027. Where each stands in October 2026:

• Ballot. Closed. It ran from 24 April to 1 May 2026, results went out on 9 July, and the organisers say it will not reopen. See the ballot page.
• Charity. You apply to a charity that holds places, and fundraise for it. The organisers say a limited number of charity places are still available. See Run for Charity.
• Good for Age. Open to UK residents until 16:00 on Thursday 29 October 2026, for times run from 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026. There are 6,000 places, 3,000 for men and 3,000 for women, given fastest first relative to age. For example, at 18 to 39 the standard is sub 2:52 for men and sub 3:38 for women. Meeting it does not guarantee a place. See the full table on the Good for Age page.
• Other ways in. Championship and British Athletics club places, places for runners with disabilities, and international tour operators. Running club places are on both days.