Best Marathon in the UK 2026 & 2027: All 4 Home Nations

It depends on your goal. For prestige and atmosphere, the London Marathon is the UK's only World Marathon Major and the most coveted entry. For a fast personal best, the flat Manchester Marathon (the UK's second-largest) and Wales' Newport Marathon are firm favourites, with the largely flat Chester Marathon close behind. For scenery, the net-downhill Edinburgh Marathon and the point-to-point Loch Ness Marathon in the Scottish Highlands are hard to beat. Use the Marathon Finder to match a race to your goal.

Very long. The 2027 ballot drew a world-record 1.33 million applications for roughly 17,000 ballot places, giving a success rate of about 1.3%, or around 1 in 77. Overseas applicants face even longer odds than UK entrants. If the ballot fails, the more reliable routes are Good For Age (an age-graded qualifying time, awarded fastest-first up to a cap), Championship entry for elite club runners, or a charity place, which typically asks for a fundraising commitment of around 2,000 pounds. Check your age-group target with our qualifying-time tool.

The London Marathon is by far the largest, with a record 59,830 finishers in 2026 — now the world’s largest marathon — and a world-record ballot that drew over 1.1 million applications for 2026 and a record 1.33 million for 2027. The Manchester Marathon is the UK's second-largest at roughly 40,000 entrants and Europe's fourth-biggest, while Brighton rounds out the largest English races at around 12,000 finishers.

The flattest, fastest courses. Newport in Wales and Chester on the England-Wales border both report that around 70% of finishers set a personal best, and the largely flat Manchester Marathon is the UK's biggest PB hunt. Edinburgh is the fastest in Scotland thanks to a net-downhill profile, and the Yorkshire (York) Marathon is a flat October option. For a deeper PB-course ranking see our best UK marathon for a PB guide, then set your splits with the Pace Calculator.

Yes. Scotland's largest is the net-downhill Edinburgh Marathon, with the scenic point-to-point Loch Ness Marathon through the Highlands as a popular alternative. Wales' largest is the Newport Marathon, one of the flattest courses in the UK where nearly 70% of finishers set a personal best. Northern Ireland's biggest is the Belfast Marathon, a city tour running since 1982. See our dedicated best marathon in Scotland and best marathon in Wales guides for the full picks.

The mid-sized regional races. While London is a 1-in-77 ballot and big-city races like Manchester and Brighton sell out fast, smaller marathons such as Loch Ness, Chester and Newport have open entry on a first-come basis and are far easier to secure. For London specifically, a charity place is the most reliable guaranteed route if you are willing to fundraise.

The UK has two peak seasons. The spring window runs from April to May, headlined by London, Manchester, Brighton and Newport in April, then Edinburgh, Leeds and Belfast in May. The autumn window covers September and October, with the scenic Loch Ness in September and the historic Yorkshire and border Chester marathons in October.