Record 1.3m apply for 2027 London marathon ballotImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, A record 59,000 people took part in the 2026 London MarathonByFfion WynneBBC Sport JournalistPublished5 May 2026, 06:14 BSTUpdated 17 minutes agoA record number of people have applied to participate in the 2027 London Marathon via the public ballot. In total, 1,338,544 people have applied for the event which will take place on 25 April, breaking last year’s record of 1,133,813. The 2026 marathon had a record 59,830 finishers and was the biggest annual one-day fundraising event in the world.
“This astonishing total of applicants firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought-after marathon,” stated Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events.
“Nothing else comes close. 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 London Marathon.”
The ballot results will be released early in July, with places allocated through a random draw.
It is the first time that more than a million applications from the UK alone have been submitted, and there was near parity in male and female registrations.
At last weekend’s historic event, Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe ran the first sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race, and Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa broke her own women’s world record.
