Debrunner Beats Sawe at Rock-Paper-Scissors for 2027 London Schedule

Catherine Debrunner beat marathon world record holder Sabastian Sawe in rock-paper-scissors to decide which day hosts the 2027 London Marathon elite races.

London Marathon Events confirmed that the elite race dates for the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon were decided by a Rock, Paper, Scissors contest between 2026 champions and world record holders Sabastian Sawe and Catherine Debrunner. Debrunner won the best-of-three series two games to zero, which means the elite men's and elite men's wheelchair races will open the weekend on Saturday 24 April 2027, while the elite women's and elite women's wheelchair races take Sunday 25 April. CEO Hugh Brasher called the battle an entertaining way to decide which day would host each elite race.

The whimsy came with official certification. According to Canadian Running Magazine, London Marathon Events brought in an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records to create a new title: the first elite marathon race start decided by a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The contest now sits in the Guinness books, and Lente Desportiva notes a round between two world record holders was enough to settle one of the more unusual scheduling questions in road-running history. Sawe's loss was, per Canadian Running Magazine, his first competition defeat since he finished second at the 2024 adizero Road to Records 10K in Germany.

Both competitors arrived with extraordinary credentials. Sawe made history at the 2026 London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to run a record-eligible marathon under two hours, finishing in 1:59:30. Debrunner, a four-time London champion, set the women's wheelchair marathon world record of 1:34:16 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. According to Canadian Running Magazine, she currently holds all nine world records in the women's T53 events, from the 100m to the marathon, making her the statistically dominant player in a game of pure chance.

The Sunday slot carries more than tradition. Brasher said he is particularly looking forward to the elite women's start, when, for the first time in London, female athletes in the Championship categories will line up directly behind the women's elite field. London Marathon Events says the outstanding elite women's wheelchair field will begin the action just ahead of them, creating what the organisation calls a true celebration of women's marathon racing. Splitting the elite races across two days, Brasher argued, lets organisers shine a brighter spotlight on the athletes taking part.

The 2027 edition is a one-time format that spreads a projected 100,000 participants across two days on the same course. London Marathon Events confirmed the mass fields on both days will be mixed, and ballot-selected runners have been assigned a day they cannot choose, with each runner allowed to complete the in-person race only once. Canadian Running Magazine reports a record 1.3 million people entered the ballot after the 2026 race, and Lente Desportiva puts charity fundraising expectations at more than £150 million after the 2026 race raised €80 million.

Both star athletes are expected to appear to defend their titles in 2027, according to Canadian Running Magazine. Entries for the Championship and Good for Age categories opened the day after the schedule reveal, per Pulse Sports Kenya, giving qualifiers their first chance to claim a spot in the landmark weekend. Brasher told organisers' audiences the competition may not be quite so friendly once race weekend arrives, and Lente Desportiva reports race week opens on Friday 23 April 2027 with the TCS Mini London Marathon before the two spectacular days of elite racing.