The 2027 London Marathon ballot has closed – here’s how you can still get a place in the legendary race

Inspired by this year’s London Marathon, you’ve ordered a new pair of Hokas, purchased a giant box of hydration gels and taken your new running vest for a test drive. There’s just one thing you’ve forgotten to do – register for the 2027 race ballot. 

Unfortunately, if you’re reading this thinking you should really get around to applying, well, you’re already too late. The ballot to enter the 2027 London Marathon has already closed.

But don’t despair, 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 Sunday April 25 2027.

Plus, there could be another chance to run the 26.2 mile race for 2027. More on that below.

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.

How to run the London Marathon for a charity

Whether you’ve missed 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. 

Will the 2027 London Marathon be over two days?

Ok, so we hinted at the possibility of a second day of racing for the 2027 London Marathon. Well, here’s what we know so far. 

The London Marathon is in talks to extend the 2027 event across two days, meaning it would be open to 100,000 competitors for 2027 – a record-breaking figure – with 50,000 running the course on each day.

The organisers are still waiting on formal approval, though, so we’ll have to wait and see whether you should clear your diary on Saturday April 24 2027 too.

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

Plus: this legendary 1930s leisure centre in central London is getting a £44 million makeover.

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