If you’ve ever entered the TCS London Marathon public ballot, you know the odds aren’t kind. In 2024, over 840,000 runners threw their names in the hat for fewer than 20,000 spots — a success rate hovering around 2%. The 2026 ballot window has now closed, and results are rolling out, which means if you’re still chasing a bib, it’s time to explore every backup route available.

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Ballot open date: 25 April 2025 · Ballot close date: 2 May 2025, 4pm · Results sent: Early July 2025 · Official ballot site: londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ballot · Event sponsor: TCS London Marathon

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
2What’s unclear
  • Exact July date when all results emails landed
  • Remaining charity place availability for specific causes
  • Whether 2026 applicant numbers exceeded the 840,000 record
3Timeline signal
  • Ballot closed → results out → charity places open → pack pickup in April (London Marathon Events)
  • MyWay virtual sold out — no backup there for 2026 (London Marathon Events)
4What’s next
  • Unsuccessful applicants: charity running, 2027 ballot prep, or MyWay
  • Successful applicants: Running Show pack pickup 22–25 April, ExCeL London

The key entry details for the 2026 TCS London Marathon are summarised in the table below.

Detail Value
Ballot Period 25 April – 2 May 2025
Results Date Early July 2025
Official Site www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ballot
Sponsor TCS
UK Entry Fee £79.99
International Entry Fee £225
Name Printing £14 pre-order

When can I apply for the London Marathon 2026?

The 2026 TCS London Marathon ballot window was famously short — one week, exactly. Applications opened on Friday, 25 April 2025, and the window slammed shut on Friday, 2 May 2025 at 4pm (London Marathon Events). That deadline is absolute; no late submissions are accepted under any circumstances.

London Marathon Events confirmed that results started arriving in Early July 2025 via email to all applicants (Marathon Handbook). The ballot launch itself came with some fanfare — an immersive display at Outernet on Tottenham Court Road in London, signalling the official start.

Ballot opening and closing dates

  • Ballot opened: Friday, 25 April 2025
  • Ballot closed: Friday, 2 May 2025, 4pm (strict cutoff)
  • Results dispatched: Early July 2025

How to check ballot status

If you entered the 2026 ballot, check the email associated with your application. London Marathon Events sends results directly — no portal login, no waiting on a website refresh. The official ballot site hosts the entry portal, but results are email-only.

What to watch

Check your spam folder. Applicants in previous years have reported ballot results landing in junk folders — especially if you used a work email address.

How to apply for a place in the London Marathon 2026?

For those whose 2026 applications weren’t successful, or for anyone eyeing the 2027 cycle, understanding the full application process matters. Entry runs through the official London Marathon Events ballot portal — no third-party sites, no intermediaries for standard entries.

UK residents have two fee options: the Standard entry at £79.99, or the Donation entry at £49.99, which enters you into a second draw if the first ballot doesn’t go your way (Marathon Handbook). Donation entrants who remain unsuccessful receive a premium winter running top worth £60 as a consolation. International runners pay a flat £225 (The Running Channel).

Entering the ballot process

  1. Visit londonmarathonevents.co.uk/ballot during the open window
  2. Select Standard (£79.99 UK / £225 international) or Donation (£49.99 UK only) entry
  3. Complete personal and medical details
  4. Opt in for pre-ordered name printing on your bib for £14 (optional but popular)
  5. Submit before 4pm on the closing date — late entries are not considered

Steps after ballot results

Successful 2026 applicants need to collect their race packs at the TCS London Marathon Running Show, held at ExCeL London from 22–25 April 2026 (London Marathon Events). Those who miss pack pickup forfeit their entry. The mass start fires at 09:30 on Sunday, 26 April, with the official cut-off time typically at 19:00.

Bottom line: If you didn’t secure a spot through the 2026 ballot, charity places and the 2027 ballot cycle are your next viable routes in.

What are the odds of getting a place in the London Marathon 2026?

Brutally thin. London Marathon Events describes the ballot as “a completely random draw, just like the National Lottery” (London Marathon Events). No running history, no previous applications, no loyalty points — pure luck of the draw.

The numbers back up how fierce the competition is. In 2024, over 840,000 people applied for approximately 17,000 public ballot spots — roughly a 2% success rate (Marathon Handbook). With fewer than 20,000 ballot places available for 2026, industry observers expect close to one million applicants (The Running Channel).

Historical ballot success rates

The 2024 figures provide the clearest benchmark for understanding how competitive the 2026 ballot became.

Year Applicants Ballot Spots Success Rate
2024 840,000+ ~17,000 ~2%
2026 (expected) ~1,000,000 <20,000 <2%

Factors affecting chances

There are none, officially. London Marathon Events explicitly states the draw is random with no weighting for previous unsuccessful applications. Some runners apply year after year without success; others get in on their first attempt. The Donation entry (£49.99) gives UK applicants a second-chance draw if their first application fails, but that’s still a second lottery — not a boost to first-draw odds.

What this means

Previous applications carry no advantage — each year’s ballot is an independent draw.

Is the London Marathon 2026 sold out?

For the public ballot, yes — the window has closed and the draw is complete. As London Marathon Events confirmed: “2026 ballot has been drawn, entries locked in, plan for 2027” (London Marathon Events). No further public ballot entries are available for the 2026 event.

That said, “sold out” doesn’t mean zero options. Charity places and the TCS London Marathon MyWay virtual event offer alternative paths — though MyWay itself is already sold out for 2026 (London Marathon Events).

Ballot status post-results

  • Public ballot: CLOSED — entries locked in
  • Charity places: Available through registered UK charities (see below)
  • MyWay virtual: SOLD OUT for 2026
  • Tour operator guaranteed entries: Available for international runners

Alternative entry options

Three main routes remain for those who missed the ballot or weren’t selected:

  • Charity running: Each year, hundreds of charities receive guaranteed bibs to allocate to fundraisers. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the largest partners, requiring fundraisers to meet a minimum fundraising target (GOSH Charity).
  • Good For Age (GFA): UK residents with a qualifying marathon time can apply. The GFA cap sits at 6,000 places (3,000 men, 3,000 women), allocated fastest-first by age and gender (The Running Channel). Note: GFA does not guarantee entry — the fastest applicants within each age/gender bracket secure spots first.
  • Championship entry: For elite club runners with UK Athletics membership. Capped at 1,000 places (500 men, 500 women) with qualifying times of sub-2:38:00 for men and sub-3:10:00 for women (The Running Channel).
The catch

Good For Age times are strict and the qualifying window (October 1, 2024 – September 30, 2025) closes before race day. If your time falls just outside the cutoff, GFA won’t save you — and the competition within your age bracket can be fierce when popular age groups fill fast.

How hard is it to get into the London Marathon ballot?

Getting into the ballot isn’t hard — submitting an entry takes minutes. Getting selected is the hard part. The randomness of the draw means there’s no training your way in, no qualifying time to boost your odds, and no strategy that improves your chances beyond entering.

The GFA and Championship routes offer an alternative for faster runners, but they come with their own hurdles. GFA is only open to UK residents and requires a marathon completed on an AIMS-certified course within the qualifying window (The Running Channel). Championship entry additionally requires UK Athletics club membership and faster qualifying times.

Comparison to qualifying times

The table below shows how the three main entry routes compare in terms of availability and requirements.

Entry Route Places Available Key Requirements
Public Ballot <20,000 Random draw; no qualifying time
Good For Age 6,000 UK residents; qualifying marathon time; AIMS-certified course
Championship 1,000 UK Athletics club member; sub-2:38:00 (men) or sub-3:10:00 (women)

Backup plans like charity running

For the majority of runners without a qualifying time, charity running is the most realistic backup. Hundreds of official charities receive bibs annually, with varying minimum fundraising commitments. The trade-off is clear: you pay a lower registration fee (or sometimes nothing), but you’re committing to raise a significant sum for your chosen cause — often £1,500–£2,000 or more depending on the charity.

“The London Marathon ballot is notoriously competitive. In 2024, over 840,000 people applied for approximately 17,000 public ballot spots — that’s a roughly 2% chance of success.”

— Marathon Handbook

“It is a completely random draw, just like the National Lottery.”

— London Marathon Events (Official Organizer)

How to enter the London Marathon 2027 ballot

If the 2026 cycle didn’t work out, the 2027 ballot will follow the same pattern: applications open in late April, typically a few days before the 2026 race, with a one-week window and a 4pm Friday deadline. The qualifying window for GFA and Championship entries resets to October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

London Marathon Events recommends applying for GFA alongside your ballot entry if you’re close to a qualifying time — it doesn’t hurt your ballot odds and gives you a second path (London Marathon Events). For international runners locked out of GFA, tour operators like Marathon Tours offer guaranteed entry packages for travellers from the USA, Canada, and outside the EU/UK.

2027 preparation checklist

  • Mark late April 2026 for the 2027 ballot window opening
  • Check qualifying times for GFA eligibility before October 2025
  • Identify a charity you’d fundraise for if pursuing the charity route
  • Consider applying for both ballot and GFA simultaneously
  • For international runners: explore tour operator guaranteed entries early

For runners tracking their progress, knowing how many miles is 5K can help you build a baseline before tackling marathon training.

Confirmed facts

  • Ballot opened 25 April 2025 and closed 2 May 2025 at 4pm
  • Results dispatched in Early July 2025
  • 2026 race day is Sunday, 26 April 2026
  • UK entry fee is £79.99; international is £225
  • GFA capped at 6,000 places, allocated fastest-first
  • Championship capped at 1,000 places with stricter qualifying times
  • TCS London Marathon MyWay virtual sold out for 2026
  • Running Show pack pickup at ExCeL London, 22–25 April 2026

What’s unclear

  • Exact July date when all result emails landed
  • Whether 2026 applicant numbers surpassed the 840,000 record
  • Current availability of charity places for specific causes
  • Championship application opening date for 2026

Related reading: London to New York – Flight Times Distance and Airlines

Additional sources

londonmarathonevents.co.uk, marathon-adventures.com, therunningchannel.com, marathontours.com

Runners eyeing the 2026 ballot can draw insights from the London Marathon 2025 results, where elite winners set benchmarks along the iconic Greenwich-to-Mall route.

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Frequently asked questions

What is TCS London Marathon MyWay?

MyWay is a virtual event option that allows runners to complete the 26.2 miles anywhere outdoors on the same race day (Sunday, 26 April 2026). The UK entry fee was £30, and the international fee was £40. For the 2026 cycle, MyWay sold out — meaning this backup route is unavailable for the upcoming event.

When is the London Marathon 2026 ballot date?

The 2026 ballot window opened on Friday, 25 April 2025 and closed on Friday, 2 May 2025 at 4pm. Results were dispatched in Early July 2025.

What happens if I miss the London Marathon 2026 ballot?

If you missed the ballot window or weren’t selected, you still have options: charity running places (apply through individual charities like GOSH), international tour operator guaranteed entries, or preparing for the 2027 ballot cycle which opens in late April 2026.

How to enter the London Marathon 2027 ballot?

The 2027 ballot is expected to follow the same pattern: applications open in late April 2026 (typically a few days before the 2026 race), remain open for one week, and close at 4pm on the final day. Watch the official London Marathon Events website for the announcement.

What is the London Marathon route 2026?

The 2026 route follows the traditional course from Blackheath to The Mall, passing landmarks including the Cutty Sark, the Tower of London, and Canary Wharf before finishing outside Buckingham Palace. The mass start is at 09:30 with a typical cut-off time of 19:00.

Is there a London Half Marathon 2026?

The London Marathon is a full 26.2-mile event. There is no official London Half Marathon run by London Marathon Events. The closest official half-marathon distance events in the London area include the London Half Marathon at the Olympic Park or the Vitality London Half Marathon — though these are separate events not affiliated with the TCS London Marathon.

What are major marathon qualifying times?

For the London Marathon Good For Age entry, qualifying standards vary by age and gender — younger age groups require faster times. The Championship entry (for UK Athletics club members) sets the bar at sub-2:38:00 for men and sub-3:10:00 for women. Boston Marathon, by contrast, has its own separate qualifying times, which are generally faster than London GFA standards.

For UK-based runners who didn’t secure a 2026 bib, the path forward is straightforward: target the 2027 ballot window (likely late April 2026), explore charity running now while places are still available, and if you have a qualifying marathon time, submit your GFA application alongside any future ballot entry. International runners should contact tour operators early — guaranteed entries for the 2027 cycle will start selling out well before the ballot opens.