How to get into the London Marathon

London Marathon ballot results

The 2027 ballot ran April 24 to May 1, 2026. Results went out by email on July 9, and drawn runners had to confirm by 4 p.m. BST on July 31. Places go by a random draw, and the fee is charged only if you win a place.

1,338,544 people applied for 2027, a world record: 1,008,091 from the UK and 330,450 from overseas. The race does not publish how many places go to the ballot. Running press estimated about 17,000 for the single-day 2025 race.

Double Chance entrants pay £49.99 upfront. If drawn, it covers their entry; if not, they go into a second draw, and if that also misses, the money goes to the London Marathon Foundation and they get a hydration vest worth over £100.

The 2027 double race

For 2027 only, London runs on two days, Saturday April 24 and Sunday April 25, on the same course, for 100,000 runners. Reports put the split at 45,000 on Saturday and 55,000 on Sunday.

You cannot choose or swap your day. Ballot entrants were drawn for both days, Sunday charity places were allocated in advance and Saturday charity places went through a separate charity ballot. Good for Age and Championship men race on Saturday and women on Sunday.

A deferred Saturday place moves to a Sunday in 2028, 2029 or 2030. A deferred Sunday place moves to 2028.

London Marathon good for age

Good for Age is for UK residents. Meeting the time lets you apply, and the 6,000 places, 3,000 for men and 3,000 for women, go fastest first within each age group. Age is your age when you ran the time, and the window for 2027 was October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. You need a results link, ID and proof of UK address.

A MyWay virtual time counts only alongside an in-person half marathon within the standards. Good for Age places cannot be deferred, except for pregnancy and postpartum.

London Marathon championship entry

Championship places sit above Good for Age: 1,200 for 2027, 600 men and 600 women, fastest first. Non-UK residents can apply if they are UK Athletics members, but if they miss they cannot fall back to Good for Age.

A half marathon time counts only if you have no marathon time in the window. Successful applicants had to register and pay by 4 p.m. on November 30, 2026.

London Marathon charity places

339 charities hold London places. You apply to the charity, not to the race, pledge a set amount and usually pay a registration fee. The 2027 Charity of the Year, the National Autistic Society, asked £2,500 and a £100 fee for either day, filled its places between May and August 2026, and ran a waiting list to the end of September.

Saturday places for 2027 went through a charity ballot: 500 places, one each, for UK charities with no other 2027 places. Charity places cannot be deferred through the race; the charity decides.

Many charities still have places after the public ballot results in July. Runners who already hold a ballot place can still fundraise for a charity; the National Autistic Society takes them as Team Autism.

London Marathon running club places

Clubs affiliated to British Athletics through England, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Ireland Athletics get places by size, and each club picks its own runners. Clubs do not apply: they are emailed their allocation or ballot result.

For 2026 clubs heard on October 31, 2025 and had to register runners by December 16, 2025, at the UK fee of £79.99. The 2027 criteria are due to clubs before December 2026.

London Marathon tour operators

London Marathon Events names official tour operators country by country, and they sell guaranteed entries only with a package, to people living outside the UK. Sports Tours International is the official overseas operator for the US, Ireland, France and selected countries. Other US operators include Marathon Tours & Travel, Destiny2Sport, Fitness International Travel, I Run the Globe, Achieve Racing, Marathon Adventures and Runbuk. Canada has Dream Travel, Contact Amerique, I Run the Globe and The Travel Agent Next Door. Australia has Travelling Fit, Marathon Tours & Travel, Adventure Time Travel, Keith Prowse Travel, RunFun Travel and Tri Travel.

There is no bib-only option, and the hotel is mandatory. Marathon Tours & Travel requires four nights, with breakfast, a welcome reception, a city tour with an expo stop, a pasta dinner, a coach to the start and a post-race reception; non-runners pay $1,350 less. Sports Tours International sells four to six nights for the Sunday race; non-runners pay $750 less. Dream Travel Canada sells three nights with breakfast, a meet-and-greet and a reunion area, Sunday only. Destiny2Sport sells three nights at the Hyatt Regency Blackfriars with a shakeout run and a start transfer. Travelling Fit sells four nights at the NYX with breakfast, a group run, a dinner and a coach to the start, to Australian residents only.

Book early: Dream Travel Canada sold out and runs a waitlist, and Marathon Tours & Travel's lowest rooms are gone. Dream Travel took CA$650, then £1,500 by August 21, 2026, then the balance by December 1, 2026. Travelling Fit asks A$1,650, then A$950 by October 2, 2026, then the balance by January 8, 2027. Destiny2Sport takes a non-refundable $500 deposit and monthly payments to January 15, 2027. Marathon Tours & Travel takes 30% to book. Tour places cannot be deferred through the race.