London ballot hits 1.1M
A world‑record 1.1 million people applied in the public ballot for the 2026 TCS London Marathon, a 36% increase on the previous year that organizers say is prompting discussion of a two‑day event in 2027 (runabc.co.uk). Organizers and commentators are framing the surge as the highest-ever public demand for the race’s ballot places (runabc.co.uk).
More than 1.13 million people applied for the 2026 TCS London Marathon through the public ballot, the biggest demand ever recorded for the race. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) London Marathon Events said 1,133,813 applications came in for the race on Sunday, April 26, 2026. That broke the previous ballot record of 840,318 for the 2025 edition by 36%. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The 2026 total included 869,803 applications from the United Kingdom and 264,011 from overseas runners. Among United Kingdom applicants, organizers counted 433,775 men, 430,983 women, and 5,044 non-binary entrants. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The jump did not come out of nowhere. The 2025 ballot had already set a world record at 840,318 applications, after the 2024 ballot drew 578,374. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) That means London’s ballot demand has almost doubled in two years, from 578,374 for the 2024 race to 1,133,813 for the 2026 race. Organizers are now weighing whether the event should expand to handle that pressure. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 1) (londonmarathonevents.co.uk 2) In March 2026, organizers said they were exploring a two-day London Marathon in 2027. France 24, citing a statement to Agence France-Presse, reported the format could allow as many as 100,000 runners, though organizers said no approval had been given. (france24.com) The 2025 race gave organizers another reason to think bigger. London Marathon Events said 56,640 runners finished that race, setting a Guinness World Records mark for the largest number of finishers in a marathon. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk) The event is also a charity machine. Agence France-Presse reported the 2025 London Marathon raised £87.3 million for charities, and a larger two-day version has been discussed as a way to raise even more. (france24.com) For now, the 2026 race remains a one-day event from Greenwich to Westminster on April 26, 2026. The bigger change is the scale of demand: more than a million people entered a random ballot for a shot at one start line. (londonmarathonevents.co.uk)
