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'Rock, paper, scissors' decides order of London Marathon races

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Cite

Wheeler, G. (2026, September 30). 'Rock, paper, scissors' decides order of London Marathon races. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/articles/cm36lgdk9g33o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

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BBC News · collected 2026-09-30 · by Grace Wheeler

Quick Summary

A game of rock, paper, scissors determined that the 2026 London Marathon elite men’s race would take place on Saturday, April 24th, while the women's race would follow on Sunday. Sabastian Sawe lost to Catherine Debrunner in this contest, leading to a two-day format designed to accommodate the record-breaking number of participants who entered the ballot—1.33 million people. Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, explained that splitting the races over two days would provide more visibility for elite athletes and allow for increased participation, with 100,000 expected in 2027 and an estimated £150m raised for charity.
Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A game of rock, paper, scissors determined the race order for the 2026 London Marathon, with wheelchair world champion Catherine Debrunner beating men's world record holder Sebastian Sawe. As a result, the elite women’s races will be on Sunday, April 25, while the men’s and men’s wheelchair events are scheduled for Saturday, April 24. Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, stated that this method highlighted the extraordinary athletes involved in the event. The two-day format was introduced to accommodate a record number of 1.33 million applicants for next year's race and is expected to feature 100,000 participants in 2027.

Written for “London Marathon Race Order” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 London Marathon Race Order
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
BBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-30 · how these are computed

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Publisher

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Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Grace Wheeler
3 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 - Published A game of rock, paper, scissors was used to determine when the elite female and male races will take place at next year's unique two-day London Marathon.
2026-09-30 · assertive framing · 'Rock, paper, scissors' decides order of London Marathon races
🔮 - Published Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio is set to sell his 2003 Rugby World Cup winner's medal after being declared bankrupt.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · Ex-England captain Dallaglio to sell World Cup winner's medal
🔮 AC Milan will pay tribute to their former captain ahead of their friendly match again Inter on Wednesday.
2026-08-04 · assertive framing · Mourners line streets of Milan for legend Baresi's funeral
Also by Grace Wheeler
Ex-England captain Dallaglio to sell World Cup winner's medal
2026-09-29 · BBC News
Mourners line streets of Milan for legend Baresi's funeral
2026-08-04 · BBC News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

London London Marathon London Marathon Events the London Marathon

Subjects

Brasher PERSON · 1× Catherine PERSON · 1× Catherine Debrunner PERSON · 1× Hugh Brasher PERSON · 1× London GPE · 1× London Marathon Events ORG · 1× Sabastian PERSON · 1× Sabastian Sawe PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Men's world record holder Sabastian Sawe was beaten by women's wheelchair world record holder Catherine Debrunner - both 2026 London Marathon champions in their respective races - in the contest.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-30
🔮 - Published A game of rock, paper, scissors was used to determine when the elite female and male races will take place at next year's unique two-day London Marathon.
2026-09-30 · BBC News
'Rock, paper, scissors' decides order of London Marathon races · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 0 hedged)

- Published A game of rock, paper, scissors was used to determine when the elite female and male races will take place at next year's unique two-day London Marathon. asserted
races → publish → Marathon
Men's world record holder Sabastian Sawe was beaten by women's wheelchair world record holder Catherine Debrunner - both 2026 London Marathon champions in their respective races - in the contest. asserted
holder → beat → contest
As a result, the elite men and men's wheelchair races are set for Saturday, 24 April, with the women's events taking place the following day on the traditional Sunday. asserted
events → set → Sunday
Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said: "Sabastian and Catherine's rock, paper, scissors battle was an entertaining way to decide which day would host each elite race. " asserted
day → say → race
Splitting the elite races will allow us to shine an even brighter spotlight on the extraordinary athletes taking part." asserted
us → split → part
Earlier this year, organisers of the event confirmed the London Marathon will be held across two days in what is said to be a momentous one-off edition of the event. asserted
what → confirm → event
The decision was made to enable more people to take part, after a record 1.33 million people entered the ballot for next year. asserted
people → make → year
In 2027 a record-breaking 100,000 participants will take part and it is estimated that more than £150m will be raised for charitable causes. asserted
m → break → causes
The women's championship categories will line-up behind the women's elite field for the first time in the London race. asserted
categories → line → race
"Our outstanding elite women's wheelchair field will begin the action just ahead of them, creating a true celebration of women's marathon racing," Brasher added. asserted
Brasher → begin → racing
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