The public ballot for the 2026 London Marathon opened on Friday, 25 April 2025, and will close on Friday, 2 May 2025.

Anyone can apply to enter,, external and the successful applicants are chosen through a random draw.

The results of the ballot will be announced by email in July.

It doesn’t cost anything to enter the ballot, but if you are successful you will need to pay the entry fee of £79.99.

If you choose to donate your fee to the London Marathon Foundation at the point of entry, it’s £49.99.

Those who donate their fee will be entered into a second ballot, if unsuccessful in the first.

London is the most popular marathon in the world, and more than 840,000 people applied to run the 2025 race through the public ballot.

Between 17,000 and 20,000 are usually successful each year.