The ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon opened at 9am on Friday, giving runners just over a week to throw their names into one of the most competitive draws in distance running. Entries close at 4pm on Friday 1 May, and results will go out by email in early July.
More than a million people applied for a place in this year’s ballot, a record high. Next year’s draw is expected to pull a similar crowd, if not bigger, now that organisers are publicly exploring the idea of staging the 2027 race across two days.
Should permission be granted, the 2027 marathon would take place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, with every ballot entrant automatically entered into both draws. Runners would still only take part in one of the two days, but the change would meaningfully boost the odds of getting a spot. Around 59,000 people are expected to run in the 2026 race. A two-day event could nearly double that figure.
How to enter the ballot
The ballot is free to enter at tcslondonmarathon.com and works as a completely random draw, similar to the National Lottery. Organisers say a confirmation email is sent as soon as you apply, though they warn demand is heavy and emails often land in junk folders.
If you are offered a place, UK runners pay a standard entry fee of £79.99. International runners pay £225, which includes a carbon offset fee for travel.
There is also a “Double Your Chances” option worth considering. When you apply, you can donate your entry fee upfront. If you are picked in the main ballot, your entry drops to £49.99 instead of £79.99. If you miss out on the first draw, you are automatically entered into a second one, which at least doubles your odds. And if you come up empty in both draws, your donation goes to the London Marathon Foundation, which funds grassroots activity across the UK, and you receive a free hydration vest that organisers value at more than £100.
You can enter the 2027 London Marathon Ballot HERE
What happens if you don’t get in
A ballot rejection in July is not the end of the road. The London Marathon has several other entry routes, some open to anyone willing to put in the fundraising or the training miles.
The charity route is the most popular backup. Hundreds of registered charities hold guaranteed places and hand them out to runners who commit to a fundraising target. Those targets can run into the thousands of pounds, and a charity can pull a place if a runner falls well short of their goal. Marie Curie is the 2026 Charity of the Year, and other large teams include Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, the NSPCC and Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. A full list is available on the London Marathon’s Run For Charity page.
Faster runners can aim for a Good For Age place. For 2026, about 6,000 of these were on offer, split evenly between men and women. Qualifying times range from sub-2:52 for men aged 18 to 39 and sub-3:38 for women in that age group, rising by age band up to sub-7:20 for men aged 90 and over. Places are allocated fastest-first, so meeting the standard does not guarantee a spot. Good For Age entries are open only to UK residents.
The Championship entry sits above Good For Age and is capped at 1,200 runners, 600 men and 600 women. Qualifying marks are sub-2:38 for men and sub-3:10 for women over the marathon, or sub-1:11:30 and sub-1:26:00 over the half marathon. Runners must be registered with a UK athletics body and must have achieved their time on a certified course. Falsifying a time comes with stiff consequences, with organisers warning it can mean a ban of up to five years from London Marathon events, and a lifetime ban on a second offence.
British Athletics affiliated clubs also receive a small allocation of guaranteed places. Clubs with between 40 and 189 first-claim members get one entry each; clubs with 190 or more get two; smaller clubs with 10 to 39 members are entered into a separate ballot for 228 places. Clubs with fewer than 10 members no longer qualify.
International runners who miss out in the ballot can also book a spot through an official tour operator. Sports Tours International is the official overseas partner for runners based in the USA, Ireland and France, and the marathon works with dozens of other operators across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. For runners chasing a World Marathon Majors star, an operator package is often the most reliable way in, and our insider’s guide to all seven Majors breaks down every route.
