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\t\tThe London Marathon attracts 60,000 runners and more than 1.3m applicants\t<\/p>\n\t\t\tTuesday 05 May 2026 9:35 am
\n\t\t\t\t\t\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tTuesday 05 May 2026 9:36 am\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\tThe London Marathon attracts 60,000 runners and more than 1.3m applicants\t<\/p>\n
The London Marathon has broken its own world record for applications after demand more than doubled in just two years.<\/p>\n
A total of 1,338,544 people entered the ballot for next year\u2019s London Marathon, which opened just before this year\u2019s race nine days ago.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
London now attracts more applications than the other six World Marathon Majors<\/a> combined, underlining its status as the most oversubscribed mass participation event on the planet.<\/p>\n \u201cThis astonishing total of more than 1.33m ballot applicants firmly establishes London as the world\u2019s most sought\u2011after marathon,\u201d said CEO Hugh Brasher. \u201cNothing else comes close.\u201d<\/p>\n This year\u2019s race broke a host of world records, most notably the finishing times of the men\u2019s and women\u2019s winners, Sabastian Sawe, who broke the two-hour barrier<\/a>, and Tigst Assefa.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The 59,830 finishers was also a record, as was the \u00a387.5m raised for charity and the 19,600 children who took part in the London Mini Marathon.<\/p>\n 2027 London Marathon could be two-day race<\/p>\n London Marathon organisers hope to trial a double event next year<\/a>, with races on the Saturday and Sunday insyead of just the latter. <\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Places for the London Marathon are allocated by random draw and announced in July. The ballot is run by British-founded tech platform Let\u2019s Do This<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brasher added: \u201cOur mission is to inspire people of every age and ability to get active \u2013 and these extraordinary numbers show the massive draw and power of the TCS London Marathon.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tRead more<\/p>\n