Everything you need to know about Edition One. Anything else, email makehistory@thegreatestlap.com.
The Greatest Lap is the first ever relay run around the world. In Edition One, 2,236 runners carry a single baton 40,370 km through 32 countries on 6 continents, in 18 stages with 17 ceremonial Sunday handovers in iconic cities. It starts and finishes in London: Grand Départ on 22 August 2027, finale on 4 June 2028.
Every runner takes one leg of the lap. Create a runner profile at thegreatestlap.com/reserve/ and reserve the leg you want to run. Reserving is free and non-binding; each reservation is reviewed personally and confirmed by email.
Legs come in four distances: 10 km (1,165 legs), half marathon 21.1 km (874 legs), marathon 42.2 km (163 legs) and 100 km ultra (34 legs). One runner per leg.
No. Reserving a leg is free and creates no obligation. Full participation terms, including any fees, are provided at registration. Participation fees go to the event's charitable causes.
The Grand Départ is in London on Sunday 22 August 2027 at 16:00. The baton returns to London for the finale on Sunday 4 June 2028, after 288 days on the road.
Nine, including the first relay run to circumnavigate the world, the longest relay run by distance and time, the most countries visited during a relay run, the most participants and nationalities in a relay run, the first relay across five continents, and the longest live-streamed sporting event.
A unique, proprietary symbol created for the event and a connected device: real-time GPS and satellite positioning, a global live map, and runner performance and health data, so the whole lap can be followed live.
Three causes aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals: access and opportunity in sport for underserved communities, youth sports engagement, and empowerment and unity through running.
Partnership tiers are Title, Global, Stage and Handover, with activation across global brand integration, premium hospitality, multi-platform content, celebrity and athlete engagement, and media amplification. Enquire at thegreatestlap.com/partners/ or makehistory@thegreatestlap.com.
