Rock, Paper, Scissors Decides the Schedule for the 2027 London Marathon

A game of rock, paper, scissors has decided which elite athletes will race on each day of the unusual two-day 2027 London Marathon.

The contest took place between two reigning London Marathon champions and world record holders, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe and Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner. Debrunner won the showdown, securing Sunday, April 25, for the elite women’s and women’s wheelchair races.

A Marathon Weekend With a Difference

The 2027 London Marathon will be held across two days for the first time as a one-off event. The men’s elite and men’s wheelchair races will take place on Saturday, April 24, while the women’s elite and women’s wheelchair races will follow on Sunday.

The mass participation races will feature mixed fields across both days, rather than separating all male and female runners by day.

An Unusual Way to Make the Decision

Organisers had not previously decided which elite races would receive the traditional Sunday slot. Instead of using a formal scheduling process, they invited Sawe and Debrunner to settle the question with a best-of-three game of rock, paper, scissors.

The contest was overseen by an official adjudicator and was recognized with a Guinness World Records title for the first elite marathon race start to be decided by the game.

Two Record-Setting Athletes

Sawe won the 2026 London Marathon after becoming the first man to complete a record-eligible marathon in under two hours, finishing in 1:59:30.

Debrunner is a four-time London Marathon champion and holds the women’s wheelchair marathon world record. Her victory in the unusual contest means the elite women’s races will take place on the traditional Sunday.

A Record Number of Runners

The special two-day event is expected to accommodate around 100,000 participants. Organisers also reported that a record 1.33 million people entered the public ballot for places in the 2027 race.

The unusual schedule is designed to give the elite races more individual attention while allowing a larger number of runners to take part over the marathon weekend.

Sources

• Reuters — “2027 London Marathon dates decided by game of rock-paper-scissors,” September 30, 2026.
• London Marathon Events — “Elite race dates confirmed for historic 2027 Double TCS London Marathon,” September 2026.
• CNA — “2027 London Marathon dates decided by game of rock-paper-scissors,” September 30, 2026.
• Sky Sports — “London Marathon: 2027 dates confirmed as rock, paper, scissors contest between past champions decides event schedule,” September 30, 2026.