Unsuccessful in the 2025 London Marathon ballot? Here are your options
Winning a ballot place in the London Marathon is legendarily tough – and today, as the ballot results for the 2025 event are announced, you’ll really need luck on your side if you put your name in the hat.
In April, a world record-obliterating 840,318 people entered the draw for the 2025 London Marathon, making it the first time in history that more than three quarters of a million hopefuls from across the globe applied for a place in a single 26.2-mile event. Before this, the most applied-for marathon was – fittingly – the 2024 London Marathon, which received 578,374 ballot entries.
As such, securing a ballot place in the 2025 London Marathon is as worthy of celebration as completing the race itself. Each year, approximately 17,000 London Marathon participants gain entry to the unwaveringly-popular event through a ballot place, which means that hopefuls have a slim 2% chance of succeeding in the ballot this year.
While the odds are against us, you’ll be pleased to know that the ballot is not your only route to the start line in Greenwich – and London is by no means the only running event to add to your race calendar. Read on to discover alternative ways to run the London Marathon next year, as well as other first-class races to sign up for instead.
When is the 2025 London Marathon?
The 2025 London Marathon – marking the 45th edition of the event – will take place on Sunday 27 April.
What is the London Marathon ballot?
The ballot for the London Marathon is a completely random draw, just like the National Lottery – so winning or missing out on a place is determined by chance!
Each year, the ballot for the following year’s London Marathon opens the day before the current year’s London Marathon and remains open for just under a week. (So, this year, the ballot for the 2025 London Marathon opened on Saturday 20 April, the day before the 2024 London Marathon took place.) While you can only enter the ballot once per year, it’s free to do so – and you only need to pay your entry fee of £69.99 (for UK residents) if you’re successful.
I’ve been unsuccessful in the ballot – how else can I run the 2025 London Marathon?
Try again in a second ballot
If you were feeling charitable when you entered the ballot in April and donated the cost of your entry fee to the London Marathon Foundation – the charity that distributes profits from the London Marathon to projects that inspire activity across the UK – you doubled your chance of getting a place in the 2025 London Marathon.
If you donated your entry fee and were successful in the main ballot, you’ll enjoy a reduced entry fee of £49.99 for the 2025 event. If you were unsuccessful, you’ll be entered into a second ballot – the Lucky Bequest draw – which allocates a further 2,000 places for another chance to run in 2025. If you remain unsuccessful in both ballots, your money will go directly to the London Marathon Foundation and you’ll receive a winter running top worth £60.
And if you didn’t donate your entry fee when entering the ballot this year? You can always remember to do so next year.
Run for charity
One of the most rewarding ways to experience the London Marathon is to run the event for charity.
Each year, numerous charities – listed here – pay for a set number of places in the London Marathon. If you spot a cause that you care about, get in touch with the charity directly to see if they can offer you one of these places.
It’s important to bear in mind that you’ll be required to raise a set amount of money for your chosen charity – usually up to around £2,000. What’s more, since charity places are in high demand, you’re more likely to be granted a charity place if you can prove your personal connection with the cause and commitment to fundraising.
Apply for a Good For Age place
Good For Age places in the London Marathon are awarded to UK residents who have recently run one or more marathons within set qualifying times, as per their age and gender. The qualifying period for the 2025 London Marathon is 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024, and applications are set to open this October. The current qualifying times are as follows:
Age
Men
Women
18-39
Sub-2:55
Sub-3:40
40-44
Sub-3:00
Sub-3:45
45-49
Sub-3:05
Sub-3:48
50-54
Sub-3:10
Sub-3:55
55-59
Sub-3:15
Sub-4:00
60-64
Sub-3:37
Sub-4:25
65-69
Sub-3:55
Sub-4:55
70-74
Sub-4:55
Sub-5:55
75-79
Sub-5:10
Sub-6:15
80-84
Sub-5:30
Sub-6:40
85-89
Sub-6:10
Sub-7:10
90+
Sub-7:20
Sub-7:45
It’s worth noting that qualifying times must have been secured at an in-person event with a certified marathon course, or during the 2024 London Marathon MyWay – the virtual edition of the race. (The small catch: if you apply for a Good For Age place using a MyWay marathon time, you’ll also need to submit evidence of an in-person half marathon result that meets the relevant qualifying criteria detailed here.)
In addition, Good For Age places are capped at 6,000 runners (3,000 men and 3,000 women) each year. So, if the number of applications exceeds this, places will be allocated on a ‘fastest first’ basis. Since Good For Age places are awarded according to qualifying times achieved within a designated period, they also can’t be deferred (unless you are pregnant or postpartum at the time of the event).
Apply for a Championship place
If you’re a faster runner and a member of a running club, you may be able to apply for a Championship place in the 2025 London Marathon. To make the cut, you will need to have run a Championship-qualifying time at an event with a course certified by the Association for International Marathons and Distance Races.
You can use the result of a recent marathon or half marathon to apply for a Championship place. The qualification period and times for Championship entries in the 2025 London Marathon are yet to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled for more details later this year.
To serve as a guide, the qualification period for the 2024 London Marathon was 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024 and the qualification times were as follows:
MenWomenMarathonSub-2:40:00Sub-3:14:00Half marathonSub-1:12:30Sub-1:28:00
You must also be a registered with a UKA membership body – England Athletics, Scotland Athletics, Welsh Athletics or Athletics Northern Ireland – to put forward a Championship application. On race day, you’ll also need to wear your athletics club vest. Unlike Good For Age entries, meeting your respective Championship qualifying time does guarantee you a place in the next London Marathon – trusting, of course, you accept it and pay the entry fee.
Enter a different event
Newsflash: the 2025 London Marathon isn’t the only running event on the planet. Throughout the year, the UK alone plays host to a wealth of other amazing marathons that present their own charms and challenges, whether that’s the electric energy of big city cheering zones, a small community spirit, whimsical rural paths, big elevation profiles or lots of flat, fast laps.
What’s more, if you don’t feel quite ready to step up to your first or next marathon next spring, why not opt for a half marathon or 10K? While the distance is smaller, the sense of achievement can be just as immense.
Alternatively, you could go a few (or several thousand) steps further and make 2025 the year of the ultramarathon. From 50K races to 100-mile epics, ultramarathons are famously friendly – and taking one on could transform your life for the better.
You Might Also Like
