The dust has finally begun to settle on this year’s record-breaking, history-making London Marathon. But before the majority of finishers had even made it to The Mall, many minds were already hurtling towards the start line of next year’s race. It seems as though pounding the pavements of the capital city for 26.2 miles on the trot has never been more desirable. Because the public ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon has just closed, and more people than ever threw their metaphorical hats into the ring.
The number of UK ballot applicants soared past the 1 million mark for the first time ever (1,008,091 UK entries, to be exact). Combined with the international ballot-enterers (from across 200 different countries), the total number of public ballot entries for the 2027 London Marathon came to a rather gasp-inducing 1,338,544. This marked a new world record, with an 18% increase on last year’s ballot entries, and almost double the number of entries from the previous year.
Whether they plan on running for a cause, some clout, or some cracking social media content; the hefty number of people that entered the public ballot has confirmed that the London Marathon is officially the most sought-after race in history. Women aged 20-29 made up the highest bracket of UK applicants, whilst 18-29 year-old men accounted for 35% of overall UK ballot-entries.
It’s recently been reported that due to the overwhelming want to hot-foot it around London next April, there’s a chance that a ‘double marathon‘ could happen next year. If this new format gets an official seal of approval, the 2027 London Marathon could be spread across two days (the Saturday and the Sunday), allowing double the number of people to take part.
However, if the London Marathon goes ahead as normal next year, it will take place on Sunday, April 25. Ballot results will be announced by early July, with places allocated through a completely random draw. And whilst the odds of you getting you hands (and legs) on one of those sought-after spots aren’t looking wildly hopeful; 2027 might just be your lucky year.
Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, 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.
“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.”
