How to Get Into the London Marathon
The ballot, Good for Age, charity places, tour operators and the one-off 2027 double, with what each one takes.
Jason Schmitt
More people apply to run the London Marathon than any other race in the world. A record 1,338,544 entered the ballot for 2027, more than double the 578,304 who applied for 2024 (London Marathon Events). The 2027 ballot closed on May 1, 2026, and results went out on July 9, so the next public draw is for 2028.
The 2027 race is also a one-off. It runs over two days, Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25, with 100,000 runners across the weekend, about 45,000 on Saturday and 55,000 on Sunday (London Marathon Events). If you live outside the UK, there are three realistic ways in: the international ballot, a charity place or an official tour operator.
The ballot
London’s ballot opens right after the race and stays open for about a week. The 2027 ballot ran from 9 a.m. on Friday, April 24 to 4 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2026 (Time Out). Runners who live outside the UK enter a separate international ballot (Let’s Do This), and 330,450 of the 2027 applications came from overseas, from more than 200 countries (London Marathon Events).
Entering the ballot doesn’t cost anything up front. If you’re drawn, the entry fee is £79.99 for UK runners and £275 for international runners, which includes a carbon offset fee for international travel. There’s also a “double your chances” option, which means paying when you apply. If you miss the main draw, you go into a second one automatically, and if you miss both, you get a hydration vest and your payment goes to the London Marathon Foundation. Runners drawn for 2027 had until 4 p.m. on July 31 to confirm their places (London Marathon Events).
The race doesn’t publish how many places the ballot fills, and much of the field gets in other ways, so there’s no official acceptance rate. With well over a million applicants and 100,000 places in total across both days, treat the ballot as a bonus and plan another route alongside it. No date has been announced for the 2028 ballot, but if the usual pattern holds it will open in late April 2027, right after the double.
The 2027 double
The double is a one-time format for 2027 only. Both days use the same route, from Greenwich to the finish on The Mall, and each runner is allocated a single day. You can’t choose your day through the ballot or swap it afterward, and trying to swap gets the place canceled. In the Good for Age and Championship fields, men run on Saturday and women on Sunday (London Marathon Events).
Good for Age and Championship entry
Both qualifying routes are built for British runners. Good for Age places are open only to UK residents and are capped at 6,000, split evenly between men and women. Places go to the fastest applicants relative to their age and standard, so meeting the time earns the right to apply rather than a guaranteed place. For 2027, qualifying times had to be run between October 1, 2025 and September 30, 2026, your age group is your age when you ran the time, and applications have closed (London Marathon Events).
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18–39 | Sub 2:52 | Sub 3:38 |
| 40–44 | Sub 2:57 | Sub 3:43 |
| 45–49 | Sub 3:02 | Sub 3:46 |
| 50–54 | Sub 3:07 | Sub 3:53 |
| 55–59 | Sub 3:12 | Sub 3:58 |
| 60–64 | Sub 3:34 | Sub 4:23 |
| 65–69 | Sub 3:52 | Sub 4:53 |
| 70–74 | Sub 4:52 | Sub 5:53 |
| 75–79 | Sub 5:07 | Sub 6:13 |
| 80–84 | Sub 5:27 | Sub 6:38 |
| 85–89 | Sub 6:10 | Sub 7:10 |
| 90+ | Sub 7:20 | Sub 7:45 |
Championship entry is faster and doesn’t require UK residence, but it does require membership of a UK athletics club. The 2027 standards were 2:38 for men and 3:10 for women in the marathon, or 1:11:30 and 1:26 in the half, and the 1,200 places go fastest first (London Marathon Events). For comparison, Boston’s standards are in the Boston qualifying guide.
Charity
Charity places are guaranteed, and they’re London’s biggest route for runners who missed the ballot. Time Out puts the number at around 25,000 a year (Time Out), and the race’s charity directory lists 339 organizations, including some based in the U.S. (London Marathon Events). You apply directly with the charity, and each one sets its own minimum fundraising target. Runners raised more than £87.5 million at the 2026 race, a world record for a one-day fundraising event (London Marathon Events).
Popular charities fill quickly. By November, Age UK’s 2027 places were full and it was taking a waiting list (Age UK). For 2027 only, charities could also apply for up to 200 Saturday places each, on top of their Sunday places (London Marathon Events).
Tour operators
Official tour operators sell guaranteed places as part of travel packages, usually with a hotel. Sports Tours International is the official overseas tour operator for runners in the U.S., and the race lists approved operators for every region on its international page (London Marathon Events). Packages usually run into the thousands (Time Out).
Which route fits you
| If you… | Your route |
|---|---|
| Were drawn in the 2027 ballot | Run on the day you were allocated. Days can’t be swapped |
| Missed the ballot and still want to run in 2027 | A charity place, before your chosen charity fills |
| Live outside the UK | The international ballot, a charity place or an official tour operator |
| Live in the UK and run a fast marathon | Good for Age, with a time from the next qualifying window |
| Belong to a UK athletics club and run 2:38 or 3:10 | Championship entry |
| Want to run in 2028 | The ballot, expected to open in late April 2027 |
The timeline
April 24 to May 1, 2026: 2027 ballot (closed)
July 9, 2026: Ballot results by email
September 30, 2026: Qualifying window for 2027 Good for Age and Championship entry closed
April 24, 2027: Day one of the double
April 25, 2027: Day two of the double
Late April 2027: 2028 ballot expected to open, for about a week
The London Marathon page on the Race Calendar tracks these dates, and subscribing puts them on your calendar.
Getting ready once you’re in
April 24 and 25 are about nine and a half months after the ballot results, which leaves time for a base phase before a typical 18-week plan starts in late December. How to Choose a Marathon Training Plan walks through the main options, the long run guide covers the workout that matters most, and the race week guide covers the last seven days.
Once you’ve picked a goal, the Pace Lab turns it into a pace and a full set of splits, with goal pages from 3:00 to 6:00.
FAQ
When does the 2028 London Marathon ballot open?
No date has been announced. The ballot usually opens right after the race and runs for about a week, which points to late April 2027.
How many people apply for the London Marathon ballot?
A record 1,338,544 applied for 2027, up from 1,133,813 for 2026. Of the 2027 applicants, 1,008,091 were in the UK and 330,450 were overseas.
What are the odds of getting into the London Marathon?
The race doesn’t publish the number of ballot places, so there’s no official figure. More than 1.3 million people applied for a 2027 field of 100,000 across two days, and charity, Good for Age, Championship and tour operator places fill much of that field.
Can Americans run the London Marathon?
Yes, through the international ballot, a charity place or an official tour operator. Good for Age entry is for UK residents only, and Championship entry requires UK athletics club membership.
How much does it cost to run the London Marathon?
The 2027 entry fee was £79.99 for UK runners and £275 for international runners. Charity places come with a fundraising target set by each charity, and tour operator packages include travel.
What is the 2027 London Marathon double?
A one-off, two-day edition on April 24 and 25, 2027, with about 45,000 runners on Saturday and 55,000 on Sunday on the same route. Each runner is allocated one day and can’t swap.
Written by
Jason Schmitt
Runner and designer in Raleigh, NC. Marathons through the 100K, Backyard Ultras, and a lot of reading what the coaches and the research actually say. Mile Twenty Labs is where it gets written down.
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