London Marathon
Telltale signs that we are in the throes of the third running boom are exemplified by the London Marathon. The event is so popular that the organizers have decided to run it twice in 2027. Once on Saturday and once on Sunday, as usual. The plan is to bring 100,000 runners to the event. In 2025, 56,540 finishers completed the 42.195-kilometre race.
Meanwhile, the World Marathon Majors organization has not formally approved the idea; but London is bigger than the sum. The group of Majors include Boston, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, Sydney and Tokyo. Two more cities are on deck: Shanghai, China and Cape Town, South Africa. However, it is believed to have the mayor’s office’s backing to take place on Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 April 2027.
While the London Marathon’s Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Brasher, has not confirmed the plans. “The London Marathon is the most popular in the world, and we are always exploring innovative ways to allow more people to participate and generate a positive impact on the city,” said the CEO.
There were 56, 540 finishers in 2025.
The aim is for 100,000 runners to race over the weekend and set a world record, with 50,000 running on each day. While not confirmed, like in global meets like World Championships and the Olympic Games, plans may be in place for the men’s and women’s elite races to be held on separate days.
In 2025, official figures recorded £87.3 million (€100 million) raised for charity, and the goal is to surpass this in 2027 by increasing the total to over £130 million (€150 million). The London Marathon is the world’s largest one-day charitable event.
Munich World Athletics Championships
Munich, Germany’s motto is München mag Dich, or in English, Munich loves you. Well, jeder liebt München.
The Munich city council on Wednesday approved its intention to host the World Athletics Championships in 2029 or 2031.
To increase bid competitiveness, World Athletics has asked would-be bidders to bid for 2029 and 2031. Not one or the other. Saying that, Munich is focused on 2031. There are other major sporting events scheduled to take place in the Bavarian city in 2029.
The hosts plan to use the Olympic Stadium, built for the 1972 Games, and the Olympic Park, which is currently undergoing renovation. The nine day meet would host 2,000 athletes from around 200 countries, with approximately 50 finals on tap.
Munich already hosts a very popular marathon with over 25,000 racers over the weekend of events. The city of 1.5 million people continues to bask in the glow of the Munich Olympics, which is largely credited with creating the first running boom. As it happened the world was inspired by Frank Shorter’s marathon win and Dave Wottle’s comeback in the 800m. A video of Wottle’s run continues to get views on social media and YouTube today.
Munich is culturally renowned as the heart of Bavaria. The city and its people famously blend a traditional lifestyle known as Gemütlichkeit with high-end arts and modern innovation. Munich is best known for hosting Oktoberfest, its historic beer halls like the Hofbräuhaus, world-class museums in the Kunstareal district, stunning Bavarian architecture, and the expansive English Garden.
Alles was du brauchst ist Liebe.
