How you can run in the 2027 London Marathon if you missed out on the ballot

The ballot results are out for the 2027 London Marathon. Did you successfully get through? Congrats, better get training. Missed out? Worry not – there are other ways you can get in. 

The ballot for next year’s race closed back in May, and results were revealed on July 9. There’s still a chance to secure your spot on the starting line for next year’s race. Here’s everything you need to know about entering the London Marathon 2027 if you’ve missed the public ballot.

When is the 2027 London Marathon?

Next year’s competitors will set off on two days: Saturday April 24 and Sunday April 25 2027. It will be the first time ever that the race is spread over two days. 

When did the ballot close?

The ballot for next year’s race opened at 9am on Friday April 24, the day before this year’s event, and closed at 4pm on Friday May 1. 

The London Marathon received a record-breaking number of sign ups for 2027, with 1,338,544 people entering the public ballot during the week it was open.

When were ballot results announced?

If you were successful in the ballot, you will have been informed on Thursday July 9 2026.

How to run the London Marathon for a charity

Whether you missed out through the ballot or have a cause you’re itching to support (or both), running for a charity is a great way to secure a spot. There are 500 charities to choose from, supporting causes across LGBTQ+, mental health, children, community, cancer and more.

Check out the full list of charities which will be offering places at the 2027 London Marathon here.

As for how to register your interest, the best way to apply for a place is directly through your chosen charity’s website. Each year, there are around 25,000 charity spots available. We do have to warn you, though, they tend to be pretty oversubscribed.

How to run the London Marathon through an international tour operator

If you’re a non-UK resident and like the idea of touring the Big Smoke on foot under race conditions, you can pay a hefty sum to secure your place on the London Marathon 2027 through an international tour. The price usually runs into the multiple thousands for all-in-one packages including entry, hotels and fancy hospitality packages.

Good for Age qualification

If you’re a UK resident and this ain’t your first 26.2 mile rodeo, you could win a place at next year’s event for being particularly speedy. That’s because the organisers of the London Marathon allocate a certain number of bibs to the fastest runners across different age brackets. 

For example, if you’re a man aged between 40 and 44, you would need to have completed an official marathon on a certified course in under 2:57:00. Women of the same age would need to have run it in 3:43:00. 

Full details for 2027 Good for Age entries will be released in autumn, but we can tell you that the qualifying period for 2026 was October 1 2024 to September 30 2025, meaning you would have had to complete an official race in this period to have qualified for the 2026 London Marathon.

This year’s Good For Age places were capped at 6,000 (3,000 men and 3,000 women) and meeting the qualifying time doesn’t guarantee a place. They’re allocated on a 'fastest first' basis relative to age and qualifying time. 

Did you see how fast celebrities ran in the 2026 London Marathon? Here's the full list of results.

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