A world-record breaking 1.33million people threw their hats in the ring for a chance to run in next year’s London Marathon, it has been revealed.
A staggering 1,338,544 people applied in the ballot for entry to the 2027 TCS London Marathon, shattering the previous world-record total of 1,133,813 for the 2026 TCS London Marathon.
This represents an 18% increase year on year and more than double the total applications for the 2024 TCS London Marathon (578,304).
And the total number of UK applications for 2027 was 1,008,091, meaning that 1.8% of the UK’s entire population has been encouraged to apply.
Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events, said the “astonishing” total firmly establishes London “as the world’s most sought-after marathon. Nothing else comes close.”
The highest number of UK applicants were women aged 20 to 29, with more than 179,000 applicants, and more than 35% of the UK applicants were aged 18 to 29.
A total of 503,284 were applications from men (49.92% of the total), 498,985 from women (49.50% of the total) and 5,822 (0.58% of the total) from non-binary applicants.
There were a further 330,450 applications from non-UK residents – from more than 200 countries – including more than 92,000 from the US, more than 34,000 from France, more than 21,000 from Ireland and more than 14,000 from Germany.
Mr Brasher added: “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.
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“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.