London Marathon 2027 Training Plan: Training for the Double
Updated: 5 days ago
Written by Andy Hood · Ultra runner, cancer survivor and Runna ambassador
Published 20 May 2026 · Updated 9 October 2026
Article contains affiliate links which supports this blog and the cancer charity fundraising I undertake.
Just here for a London Marathon training plan? I train with Runna, and it's the plan I'd point you to. Get 2 weeks free with code ANDY2 and have a plan built around your race day. The reasons, the dates and the course detail are all below.
If you searched for a London Marathon training plan hoping for a table to print and stick on the fridge, you won't find one here.
I trained from printed plans for years. They got me to start lines and they got me to finish lines, but they told me what to run and never how, and they never once noticed when my week fell apart. I've written about that at length in my guide to the best running training plans.
So this article does something more useful. It tells you which plan I'd point you to and why, when your training block should start, what a good London plan must contain, and how to train for the course itself.
That last part matters to me, because I'm running it too. On Sunday 25 April 2027 I'll be on the road from Greenwich to The Mall for The Robin Cancer Trust, dressed as a giant pair of testicles. I'll be very hard to miss.
London Marathon Training Plan 2027: The Quick Answer
The best London Marathon training plan is one built around your race day, your current fitness and the days you can run, that then changes when your training does. For me that's Runna, the coaching app I've trained with for over three years and the one I'm using for London 2027. First-timers should allow 20 weeks, experienced runners 16.
Key fact | London Marathon 2027 |
Race dates | Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027 (you run one day) |
Course | Greenwich to The Mall, 26.2 miles, flat |
20-week plan starts | Week of 7 December 2026 |
16-week plan starts | Week of 4 January 2027 |
Runs per week | 4 or 5 for most runners (Runna builds for 2 to 6) |
Longest run | 18 to 22 miles, about three weeks out |
Taper | 2 to 3 weeks |
The plan I use | Runna, 14 days free with code ANDY2 |
Start your plan: enter ANDY2 in the Runna app or go to web.runna.com/redeem?code=ANDY2. Cancel any time before the trial ends and you pay nothing.
In This Article
I'm Running the London Marathon 2027, and This Is the Plan I'm Using
In short: I have a place in the 2027 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 25 April, running for The Robin Cancer Trust. My 16-week Runna plan starts the week of 4 January 2027.
Training advice from someone with nothing at stake isn't worth much. I have plenty at stake in this one.
In 2021 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Surgery and chemotherapy took my running shoes away for months. Before that I was a 3:45 marathon runner, nothing to shout about, ticking along. I rebuilt with Runna, and my marathon came down to around 3:20. Not because I ran more miles, but because every mile finally had a purpose. Since then it has carried me twice round the Tour du Mont Blanc and along 170 miles of the South West Coast Path.
Then in April this year I had major, completely unplanned surgery, and had to rebuild all over again. More organs removed, which by my maths should make me lighter and therefore faster, though the evidence is still pending.
So London 2027 won't be about my finish time. I'll be running in a testicle costume, to get men talking about the cancer that nearly took running away from me for good. Runna and I will be developing a programme specifically for 26.2 miles in that costume. You won't find that in a PDF.
Right now, in October, I am not following a marathon plan, and neither should you be. I'm finishing the block for my Krispy Kreme London 50 on 7 November, then moving to a maintenance plan until January. The next section explains why.
When Does a 16 or 20-Week London Marathon Training Plan Start?
In short: Count back from your race day. A 20-week London Marathon training plan starts the week of 7 December 2026 and a 16-week plan starts the week of 4 January 2027. Before then, build your base. Don't start the plan early.
Your situation | Plan length | Starts week of | What to do until then |
First marathon, or back from injury or a long break | 20 weeks | 7 December 2026 | Run 3 or 4 easy times a week for 30 to 60 minutes, plus strength twice a week |
Marathon experience and a reliable base | 16 weeks | 4 January 2027 | Work on 5K and 10K speed, easy volume, and the niggle you always ignore |
Late place, already running regularly | 12 weeks (fast-track) | 1 February 2027 | Stay consistent. Runna only offers this to runners with a base |
The 2027 race is the first London Marathon held over two days, with 100,000 runners split across Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April. Check which day you've been given, because that's the date your plan counts back from. Saturday runners, the weeks above still hold, you just finish a day sooner.
Here's the mistake I see every year. The place is confirmed, the excitement is enormous, and within a fortnight someone has started week one of a 16-week plan. In October. For a race in April.
Marathon plans are hard on purpose, and nobody can hold that intensity for six months. The plan is not the preparation. The plan is the last phase of the preparation.
As I write this in October 2026, first-timers have around nine weeks before a 20-week plan starts, and everyone else has around thirteen. I've covered how to use that window in when to start training for the London Marathon 2027 and what to do in the running off-season.
If you take the Runna trial now, don't start a marathon plan with it. Use New to Running or Returning to Running if you're building from scratch, Run Further to build endurance, or Run Faster to sharpen your speed. Then line your London plan up to begin on the right week.
Why I Don't Recommend a Printable London Marathon Training Plan
In short: A printable or PDF London Marathon training plan gives you the shape of the training but not the detail, and it can't change when you do. It doesn't know your paces, your week or your race.
I want to be fair here, because free printable plans have taken hundreds of thousands of people round a marathon, and for years I was one of them. I found plans online, combined bits from different ones, printed them off and stuck them on the fridge. It worked, to a point.
These are the four problems I kept running into.
It tells you what, never how. "6 miles tempo" on a Thursday. Fine. At what pace? "8 x 400m." With how much recovery? Every week meant an evening on forums and YouTube trying to work out what the session was supposed to look like. Get it wrong and you either undertrain or get hurt.
It doesn't know you. Week four reads the same whether you're flying or struggling, whether you slept or didn't, whether you ran parkrun flat out on Saturday. A piece of paper can't see any of that.
It doesn't bend. Miss a week with a cold in February, and it will be February, and the plan has no answer. You're left guessing whether to repeat, skip or cram. Cramming is how people arrive at Greenwich injured.
It leaves out half the job. Strength work, fuelling, recovery. The things that decide whether you're running or shuffling at mile 22 usually aren't on the sheet at all.
A written plan is useful for seeing the shape of a block, and I've mapped out a 20-week first marathon plan for that reason. I just wouldn't train from one.
I've compared the main options side by side, free ones included, in Best Running Training Plans: Runna vs Hal Higdon vs Nike Run Club vs ChatGPT.
Why Runna Is the London Marathon Training Plan I Recommend
In short: Runna builds a London plan around your race date, your current fitness and the days you can train, gives every session a pace and a purpose, and adjusts as your training unfolds. It costs £15.99 a month or £99.99 a year in the UK, $19.99/$119.99 US, with 14 days free using code ANDY2.
I'm a Runna Ambassador, and you deserve to know that before you read another word. I was also training with it long before anyone there knew my name. Here's why it's what I'm using for London.
Every session is spelled out. Distance, reps, target pace, recovery. The question I spent years researching at 10pm is answered before I lace up.
It's built around you. Your recent times, your experience and anywhere from two to six running days a week. Not an imaginary average runner.
It watches and adjusts. After each run it looks at how you did against the targets and tunes what comes next. Nail a few sessions and the paces creep quicker. Struggle, and it eases off. I get told to slow down on a regular basis.
It bends around life. Drag and drop sessions when work explodes, flag that you're not feeling 100%, or switch on holiday mode. When surgery took me out of my shoes this year, it rebuilt the plan around the time I'd lost.
It knows the race. Choose the London Marathon as your goal and the plan is built for that course and counts back from your day, Saturday or Sunday.
Strength, mobility and fuelling are included. They're scheduled into your week alongside the runs, not left for you to bolt on and work out yourself.
It's on your wrist. Sessions sync to Garmin, Apple Watch, Coros, Suunto and Fitbit. No watch? The app coaches you through your headphones.
If you want to see everything it offers beyond the marathon, I've explained every Runna training plan.
Who Runna Isn't For
I'd rather you trusted me than subscribed. It isn't free, and it isn't a human coach who can look at an injury. If budget is the deciding factor and you own a Garmin, Garmin Coach is excellent and costs nothing. A free printed plan, with some careful help working out the paces, will also get you round.
Runna Free Trial: 14 Days With Code ANDY2
The standard Runna trial is 7 days. As a Runna Ambassador I can double that for you.
Enter ANDY2 during setup, or go straight to web.runna.com/redeem?code=ANDY2.
Two weeks is enough to see a plan built for you, run a few sessions, get the feedback, and know. Cancel any time before it ends and you pay nothing.
How to Set Up a London Marathon Training Plan in Runna
In short: Redeem the trial, choose a marathon race plan, set your London race day, answer the fitness questions for the runner you are today and pick your running days.
Redeem the trial. Go to web.runna.com/redeem?code=ANDY2 or enter ANDY2 during setup in the app.
Choose a race plan and pick the marathon. Select the London Marathon from the race list, or enter your date: Saturday 24 or Sunday 25 April 2027.
Tell it where you are today. Your recent race time, your current running and your experience. Not the runner you were at your best. Every pace in the plan keys off these answers.
Pick your running days. Anywhere from two to six a week. Choose the number you can keep up in a wet February, not the number you'd like to manage.
Add strength and mobility. It builds the sessions around whatever equipment you own, including none.
Connect your watch, or plan to run with your phone and headphones.
Line it up for the right week. You can hold more than one plan at a time, so your London block can sit ready behind a base-building plan until December or January.
Step 3 is the one that decides everything. Round yourself up and the plan is pitched at a runner you aren't yet, and somewhere around week five your calf or your shin will make the decision for you.
What Does a London Marathon Training Plan Include?
In short: A London Marathon training plan has four phases (base, build, peak, taper), three kinds of running (easy runs, a weekly long run, one or two quality sessions) and strength work twice a week. Use this as a checklist to judge any plan, whatever you train with.
I'm not a qualified running coach, so take this as what I've learned across many training blocks rather than a prescription.
Phase | When (16-week plan) | What it's for | What to look for |
Base | Weeks 1 to 5 | Building the aerobic engine | Mostly easy running, a long run that starts conservatively, light strength work |
Build | Weeks 6 to 11 | Adding quality | Tempo and interval sessions, marathon-pace miles inside the long run |
Peak | Weeks 12 to 14 | Race-specific fitness | Highest mileage, a longest run of 18 to 22 miles, fuelling rehearsed exactly as on race day |
Taper | Weeks 15 to 16 | Arriving fresh | Volume down by 20 to 40%, intensity kept, no cramming of missed miles |
A 20-week plan follows the same shape with a longer, gentler base. Those extra four weeks aren't extra hard work. They give tendons, bones and confidence time to catch up with ambition.
Easy runs are the backbone. Most of your weekly miles, at a pace where you could hold a conversation. If your long run leaves you wiped out for two days, you went too hard. Not sure what easy feels like? Here's my guide to Zone 2 running.
The long run is the centrepiece. It builds endurance, teaches you to fuel and gets your head used to being out for hours. Later in the block the good ones include stretches at marathon pace, because running fast on tired legs is the whole game.
Quality sessions make you faster. Tempo runs, intervals, marathon-pace blocks. One or two a week is enough. More is not better. More is how you break.
Strength is not optional. Two sessions a week on glutes, hips, single-leg stability and calves. It's the most skipped part of marathon prep, and the difference between finishing strong and limping through the last six miles. I've written about what strength work does for runners.
The taper is part of the training. Almost every runner I speak to struggles with it. The legs feel heavy, doubt creeps in and the urge to squeeze in one more long run is overwhelming. Resist it. I've covered how to survive the taper separately.
What Does a London Marathon Training Week Look Like?
In short: For a runner training four days a week, a typical mid-block training schedule is two easy runs, one quality session and one long run, plus two strength sessions and at least one full rest day.
Day | Session |
Monday | Strength |
Tuesday | Quality session: intervals or tempo |
Wednesday | Easy run |
Thursday | Strength |
Friday | Easy run |
Saturday | Rest |
Sunday | Long run, with marathon-pace miles later in the block |
Now look at what that table doesn't tell you. How far? At what pace? How many reps, with how much recovery? What changes next week, or when you miss Wednesday?
That gap is the whole reason I stopped training from printed plans. The shape of a week is the easy part. The detail is where the training is, and the detail is different for every runner.
How to Train for the London Marathon Course
In short: London is flat and fast, so the course won't beat you. Pacing, crowds and fuelling will. Train for even effort, practise marathon pace on tired legs and rehearse your gels on every long run.
The London Marathon runs 26.2 miles from Greenwich to The Mall with almost no climbing. It's the course where Sabastian Sawe ran the first official sub-two-hour marathon in April 2026. It is quick.
Section | Miles | What to expect | Train for it by |
Blackheath, Woolwich and Greenwich | 0 to 6 | Gently downhill early, packed roads, adrenaline everywhere | Practising a first mile that feels embarrassingly easy |
Cutty Sark to Bermondsey | 6 to 12 | The first wall of noise at Cutty Sark, then steady miles | Locking into goal pace and taking your first gels on schedule |
Tower Bridge and The Highway | 12 to 14 | The loudest stretch of the day, then halfway | Holding your pace when the crowd tries to lift it |
Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf | 14 to 21 | Twists, tall buildings and GPS you can't trust | Running by effort, and long runs that finish at marathon pace |
The Highway to the Embankment | 21 to 25 | Tired legs, huge support, a long run beside the river | Long runs that finish strong, and strength work for form under fatigue |
Westminster to The Mall | 25 to 26.2 | Big Ben, Birdcage Walk, Buckingham Palace, the finish | Nothing. You've earned this bit |
Pace it evenly. There is nowhere to hide on a flat course. The first 10K should feel embarrassingly easy. Miles 18 to 22, through Canary Wharf and back towards the city, are where London is decided. Respect the early miles and you'll be passing people there. Go out too hard and you'll be the one being passed.
Don't trust your watch in Canary Wharf. The tall buildings throw GPS around, and your pace reading goes with it. Run that stretch on effort and use the mile markers. It's one reason I value being able to run to RPE in Runna as well as to pace. It teaches you what marathon effort feels like.
Practise marathon pace on tired legs. From around week eight, a good plan puts marathon-pace miles into the back end of your long runs. That's your Canary Wharf rehearsal.
Prepare for cool, and for warm. Late April in London is usually mild and close to ideal for running. It can also turn. 2018 was the hottest London Marathon on record at around 24°C. You'll train through winter, so have a slower plan B ready if race week turns warm.
London Marathon Race Day Tips: Start Area, Pacing and Fuelling
In short: Expect a long wait before you start, hold back for the first 10K, start fuelling early, and practise all of it in training.
The start area is part of the race. With tens of thousands of runners each day, expect to be in the start area for 60 to 90 minutes before your wave goes. That's time on your feet, possibly in the cold, burning energy before you've run a metre. Take a throwaway layer, eat a small second breakfast while you wait, and sit down when you can. Practise your pre-run eating around that reality on your long runs.
The early miles will feel too easy. Crowds, adrenaline and fresh legs make goal pace feel effortless. This is a trap. The time you bank here is borrowed from miles 18 to 22, at a terrible rate of interest.
Fuelling starts earlier than you think. By the time you feel you need a gel, you're already behind. If you'll be out for 3:30 or more, start taking on energy from around 45 minutes and keep going at regular intervals. I take my first gel at 20 to 30 minutes, because that's what works for me after years of practice. By Cutty Sark you should already have had one. If you want the detail, I've written about the science of what's in your gels.
Never try anything new on race day. Shoes, kit, breakfast, gels. Rehearse all of it on your long runs, exactly as you plan to do it in London.
The wall is real, but it's not inevitable. It's mostly a pacing and fuelling problem. Train your fuelling, respect the early miles, and the wall becomes a manageable dip rather than a collapse.
The last mile is yours. Big Ben, Birdcage Walk, the turn at Buckingham Palace and The Mall. If you've trained well, ease off just enough to take it in.
Training for Another World Marathon Major?
London is one of seven Abbott World Marathon Majors, alongside Tokyo, Boston, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. The same training principles apply to all of them, but the hills in Boston, the bridges in New York and a summer build for Berlin all change how you prepare.
I've covered every race, including entry routes and course notes, in my Abbott World Marathon Majors guide. Running Brighton or Manchester instead? Those have their own guide.
London Marathon Training Plan FAQs
What is the best training plan for the London Marathon?
The best London Marathon training plan is personalised to your race date, current fitness and available training days, spells out the pace and recovery for every session, and adapts as you train. That's why I use and recommend Runna. On a zero budget, a free printed plan paired with Garmin Coach or a pace calculator is a workable alternative.
When should I start training for the London Marathon 2027?
Start a 20-week plan the week of 7 December 2026, or a 16-week plan the week of 4 January 2027, counting back from race weekend on 24 and 25 April 2027. Before then, focus on easy running, consistency and strength rather than a marathon plan.
How long is a London Marathon training plan?
Most London Marathon training plans last 16 to 20 weeks. First-time marathon runners, and anyone returning from injury or a long break, should allow 20 weeks. Experienced runners with a solid base can use 16.
How many days a week should I run when training for the London Marathon?
Most runners train four or five days a week: one long run, one or two quality sessions and two or three easy runs, plus two strength sessions. Consistency across the weeks matters far more than the number of days.
Is the London Marathon 2027 on Saturday or Sunday?
Both. For 2027 the London Marathon runs over two days, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, with 100,000 runners across the weekend. You run on one day, so check which you've been given and count your plan back from that date.
Is there a free London Marathon training plan PDF?
Yes. London Marathon Events publishes free 16-week beginner, improver and advanced plans as PDFs, coaches such as Hal Higdon publish free plans too, and Garmin Coach is free if you own a compatible Garmin. A printable plan gives you the structure of a block. What it doesn't give you is personal pace targets, recovery times or any adjustment when you miss training.
Is there a London Marathon training plan for beginners?
Yes. Beginners should follow a 20-week plan, be able to run three or four miles comfortably before it begins, and ideally have built towards a half marathon first. If you're starting from scratch this autumn, begin a beginner or return-to-running plan now.
I have a late London Marathon place. Is it too late to start training?
Not necessarily. If you already run regularly, 12 weeks can be enough, and Runna has a 12-week fast-track marathon plan for runners with a base. It won't offer it to beginners, and that's the right call. I've written about rescuing a marathon build when you're behind.
What is a realistic finish time for a first London Marathon?
It depends on your current fitness, not the course. As a guide, runners with a solid half-marathon base and 16 to 20 weeks of structured training can reasonably target 4:00 to 4:30. Sub-4:00 is achievable if you've run a half marathon under 1:55 and can commit to four or five training days a week. For a first marathon, finishing well matters more than the clock.
Is Runna good for London Marathon training, and how much does it cost?
Yes. Runna builds a personalised marathon plan around your London race date, target time, current fitness and available days, with guided sessions, strength work and watch sync. It costs £15.99 a month or £99.99 a year in the UK (checked October 2026). Code ANDY2 gives new users 14 days free instead of the standard 7.
Start Your London Marathon Training Plan
I've been on both sides of marathon preparation. The years of printouts on the fridge, and the years of knowing exactly what every session was for. The difference isn't just the finish time. It's how the whole thing feels, from the first dark run in January to the turn onto The Mall.
If you have a place in London 2027, however you got it, you owe it to yourself to arrive properly prepared. Build your base now. Start your plan on the right week. And let something that knows you do the planning.
Claim your 2 weeks free: use code ANDY2 at web.runna.com/redeem?code=ANDY2.
I'll be the one dressed as a giant pair of testicles. Come and say hello.
See you on the start line.
Andy
About the Author - Andy Hood
Andy Hood is an ultra and endurance runner based in North Devon, a testicular cancer survivor and a proud Runna Ambassador. After cancer stopped his running in 2021, he rebuilt with Runna's personalised training plans and has since completed the Tour du Mont Blanc twice, 170 miles of the South West Coast Path and multiple ultras. His self-designed running challenges have raised over £28,000 for cancer and mental health charities.
He will run the 2027 TCS London Marathon on Sunday 25 April for The Robin Cancer Trust, in a testicle costume.
As a Runna Ambassador, Andy can offer new users an exclusive two-week free trial. Claim your free trial here or download the app and use promo code ANDY2.
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