London Marathon ballots entries double in two years to record 1.34m
The London Marathon has broken its own world record for applications after demand more than doubled in just two years.
A total of 1,338,544 people entered the ballot for next year’s London Marathon, which opened just before this year’s race nine days ago.
That number represented an 18 per cent year-on-year increase and more than 100 per cent up on the 578,304 applications for the 2024 running.
London now attracts more applications than the other six World Marathon Majors combined, underlining its status as the most oversubscribed mass participation event on the planet.
“This astonishing total of more than 1.33m ballot applicants firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought‑after marathon,” said CEO Hugh Brasher. “Nothing else comes close.”
This year’s race broke a host of world records, most notably the finishing times of the men’s and women’s winners, Sabastian Sawe, who broke the two-hour barrier, and Tigst Assefa.
The 59,830 finishers was also a record, as was the £87.5m raised for charity and the 19,600 children who took part in the London Mini Marathon.
2027 London Marathon could be two-day race
London Marathon organisers hope to trial a double event next year, with races on the Saturday and Sunday insyead of just the latter.
UK applicants accounted for 1,008,091 of entrants for the 2027 ballot, equivalent to 1.8 per cent of the population. Of the 330,450 from overseas, 92,000 were from the US.
The gender split was 49.92 per cent male, 49.5 per cent female and 0.58 per cent non-binary. The most represented UK demographic was women aged 20-29.
Places for the London Marathon are allocated by random draw and announced in July. The ballot is run by British-founded tech platform Let’s Do This.
Brasher added: “Our mission is to inspire people of every age and ability to get active – and these extraordinary numbers show the massive draw and power of the TCS London Marathon.”