Record 1.33 million enter London Marathon ballot

The London Marathon ballot has closed, with a record number of applications for the 2027 event.

A record breaking 1,338,544 applications have been made to the London Marathon ballot that closed on 1 May. This includes over one million UK applicants, 1,008,091 to be exact. The remaining applications came from overseas, the USA providing the greatest number (92,000), with France, Ireland and Germany being responsible for 34,000, 21,000 and 14,000 respectively.

So, what are the chances of applicants being selected? Although approximatley 59,000 ran the race this year, most of these places are unavailable to ballot applicants. Reports and word of mouth have led us to understand that around 20,000 places are available. Charity places, Good For Age entries, elites and a quota for running clubs take the others. By our calculations, that leaves ballot entrants having a 1 in 67 chance of being selected to run in 2027.

Hopefully, the 2-day marathon will get the go-ahead and improve the odds. Until then, best of luck everyone!