Introduction
The London Marathon is the most popular marathon on the planet. Since its creation 1981, over one million people have run the iconic race. In 2023, I was one of those lucky individuals. However, due to the popularity of the event, it’s estimated that over 500,000 people apply for a spot each year, despite there being only 50,000 places available. So, how do you go about getting a place at the London Marathon? In this blog, I’ll outline the options. The good news is, you have a lot to choose from…
1. Ballot Entry
The ballot is basically a big lottery and places are allocated randomly. There isn’t really a lot you can do here other than just enter it and ride your luck. The ballot for the 2025 London Marathon closes this Friday (26th April 2024), so enter now if you haven’t already! There are around 20,000 ballot places up for grabs, and if you’re successful, you simply pay the entry fee and you’re in.
2. Charity Entry
This is how I got my place at the 2023 London Marathon. If you miss out on the ballot, this is probably the next best way to secure a place. Again, there are around 20,000 charity places up for grabs. This is basically an exercise in persuasive writing, as you have to convince the charity of your choice to allocate you one of their places. It’s very much like writing a job application. My main advice would be don’t spread yourself too thin and write a generic application to loads of charities. Instead, select a few charities you’re passionate about, and make your application specific to them.
3. Running Club Places (UK only)
British Athletic affiliated clubs can apply for places. However, only about 1000 places are available it total, and it’s up to the club to allocate their places to members. For most people, this isn’t a very realistic route to go down.
4. Good for Age Entry (UK only)
A further 5,000 places are awarded to runners who have run a fast marathon time relative to their age group. Runners with ‘Good for Age’ places will have run a qualifying time, at a race certified by the relevant governing body, during a certain timeframe. For the specific details, look it up online. However, this is an unrealistic option for most people, unless you’ve still got serious wheels in your older age.
5. Championship Qualification (UK only)
This is for all you racing snakes out there. For ‘Championship Qualification’, you must have run a qualifying time on a course certified by the Association for International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). If you achieve the time, you’re guaranteed the place.
- Male qualifying times are usually a sub-2:40 marathon.
- Female qualifying times are a sub-3:14 marathon.
6. Elite Places
If you’re eligible for this route of entry, you won’t be reading this blog, because you’re Eliud Kipchoge. The elite runners are the athletes who get to set off first, and get tailed by helicopters and motorbikes. Fewer than 100 places are allocated to elite runners, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up for this one.
7. Celebrity Places/Sponsorship Place/Competition Places
Finally, there are a select amount of sponsorship/competition places up for grabs. Again, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for this one, unless you plan on going viral on TikTok in the next 6-months. However, if you’ve exhausted all your other options and you still don’t have a place, keep your eyes peeled for competitions run by the main event sponsors, as they do give away places through raffles and ballots.
Summary
With only one place available for every ten applications, it might feel like an impossible task to secure a place at The London Marathon. However, this blog has sought to demonstrate that you do have a lot of options to pursue. In my opinion, if you’re unsuccessful in the ballot, the best chance you have of securing a place is via the charity places route. Finally, if you’re currently undecided as to whether you should apply, definitely do it, because you won’t regret it. Besides, if you can’t do it for whatever reason, you can always defer your place until the following year.