Record-breaking 1.3m people enter ballot for 2027 London Marathon
The figure "firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought‑after marathon", event organisers say.
The London Marathon has seen a record number of entries for 2027 with over 1.3 million people signing up for the ballot.
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A total of 1,133,813 people have tried their luck for next year's event, marking an 18% increase year on year and more than double the total applications for the 2024 TCS London Marathon (578,304).
The number of British applications for next year’s race was 1,008,091, with women aged 20-29 accounting for the most sign ups at 179,000
A total of 503,284 were applications from men, nearly half the total, while 49.92% were from women at 498,985. 5,822 non-binary applicants have also entered the ballot.
There were a further 330,450 applications from non-UK residents from over 200 countries, including more than 92,000 from the US, over 34,000 from France, more than 21,000 from Ireland and over 14,000 from Germany.
Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, organisers of the TCS London Marathon, said: “This astonishing total of more than 1.33 million ballot applicants firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought‑after marathon. Nothing else comes close.
Read more: London Marathon breaks record for most ever finishers in any 26 mile race
Read more: Sabastian Sawe shatters world record at London Marathon
“The 2026 TCS London Marathon was a landmark edition. The world’s most popular marathon became the biggest and fastest, with 59,830 finishers crossing the iconic line on The Mall and world records in both the men’s and women’s elite races.
“We witnessed history too: Sabastian Sawe became the first man to break the two‑hour barrier in a competitive marathon, and Tigst Assefa once again rewrote the record books with a new women‑only world record and for the first time in a marathon, three women ran under 2 hours 16 minutes in the same race
“We also saw unprecedented participation from young people over the weekend. A record 19,600 children took part in the TCS Mini London Marathon, and more than 610,000 completed the Mini Marathon in their schools across the UK.
“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.”
Ballot results will be announced by early July, with places allocated through a completely random draw.
Sabastian Sawe set a new world record winning this year’s London Marathon in a time of 1:59:30, the first official sub-two-hour marathon.
His incredible run wiped 65 seconds off the previous record held by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who did so at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
The 29-year-old won in London on his debut last year.
Yomif Kejelcha also went under two hours, but was 11 seconds behind Sawe.
Ethiopian Tigst Assefa defended her London Marathon title with her victory in the women's race, achieveing a women’s-only world record two hours, 15 minutes and 41 seconds.