{"id":2450,"date":"2025-04-22T14:09:39","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/?p=2450"},"modified":"2025-04-23T08:55:26","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T08:55:26","slug":"all-you-need-to-know-about-the-london-marathon-2026-registration-before-ballot-opens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/22\/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-london-marathon-2026-registration-before-ballot-opens\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to know about the London Marathon 2026 registration before ballot opens"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"435\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22949417 lazyload\" alt=\"Masses of runners leaving the start of the TCS London Marathon. Picture date: Sunday April 21, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story ATHLETICS London. Photo credit should read: Zac Goodwin\/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_200858944-8d3e.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Good luck if you\u2019re hoping to run next year\u2019s race (Picture: Zac Goodwin\/PA Wire)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london-marathon\/\">2025 London marathon<\/a> is fast approaching, but those preparing for this year\u2019s race may also be looking ahead to 2026.<\/p>\n<p>The course, which sets off from Blackheath and took runners past Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Canary Wharf, The Shard and Tower Bridge, finished up at St James\u2019s Park.<\/p>\n<p>More than 1.25million people have completed the marathon since its start in 1981, with thousands signing up every year, and together runners have raised more than \u00a31billion.<\/p>\n<p>And 2026 will likely be no different when the ballot for next year\u2019s race opens on Friday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I sign up for the London Marathon 2026?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-20696816 lazyload\" alt=\"TCS London Marathon 2024, London\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2148008957.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>London was packed full of runners on Sunday (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>the 2026 London Marathon will be held on Sunday, April 26 next year.<\/p>\n<p>Prospective marathon runners can sign up by entering a public ballot, with winners drawn at random.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When does the ballot open?<\/h2>\n<p>The ballot for the 2026 London Marathon opens on Friday, April 25, and will stay open for a week until Friday, May 2.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How much does it cost?<\/h2>\n<p>If you are a UK resident, and choose to donate your entry fee to support the work of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcslondonmarathon.com\/inside-lme\/london-marathon-foundation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">London Marathon Foundation<\/a>\u00a0during the ballot process if your entry is unsuccessful, your entry free is reduced from \u00a379.99 to \u00a349.99.<\/p>\n<p>If you get offered a place after being successful, if you live in the UK and didn\u2019t opt to donate your entry fee when applying, you\u2019ll need to pay the full entry fee of \u00a379.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tLatest London news\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/20\/huge-fire-engulfs-two-flats-east-london-block-22940983\/\">Huge fire engulfs two flats in east London block<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/27\/fungus-infected-zombie-spiders-invaded-london-22801577\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/03\/29\/heathrow-airport-face-disruption-easter-strikes-announced-22815826\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/20\/chinese-spies-bugging-londons-pubs-park-benches-security-sources-say-22940560\/\">Chinese spies are \u2018bugging London\u2019s pubs and park benches,\u2019 security sources say<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/01\/three-killed-car-crashes-bus-sparks-huge-inferno-22826874\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/01\/three-killed-car-crashes-bus-sparks-huge-inferno-22826874\/\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/08\/inside-plans-revamp-london-liverpool-street-station-22872616\/\">Inside the plans to revamp London Liverpool Street station<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro&#8217;s<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/london\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> London news hub<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens if I don\u2019t get a place in the first ballot?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22950868 lazyload\" alt=\"View down the Mall to the finishing line of the London Marathon in London, UK on April 21, 2013.\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-490853291.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>The finishing line of the London Marathon at The Mall (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you don\u2019t get a place in the main ballot, not all hope is lost.<\/p>\n<p>You will automatically be entered into a second ballot, and you will at least double your chance of getting a place through that second draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you are successful in either the first or second ballot, your entry is prepaid and confirmed.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I know if I\u2019m in the ballot?<\/h2>\n<p>First of all, you\u2019ll receive a confirmation email when you apply, as well as a payment receipt if you donate your entry fee.<\/p>\n<p>Organisers of the marathon recommend checking your junk folder if you don\u2019t see a confirmation email soon after applying.<\/p>\n<p>The results of the 2026 London Marathon ballot will be emailed to all entrants in July 2025 \u2013 the exact date has not been confirmed.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if I\u2019m unsuccessful in both?<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22949408 lazyload\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/softnary.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_200892779-b824.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>Runners love to dress up in silly costumes for the event (Picture: HENRY NICHOLLS\/AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you are unsuccessful you will receive a \u2018premium winter running top\u2019 which retails at \u00a360, and the money you entered will be donated to the London Marathon Foundation.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top-rated marathons in the UK if you don\u2019t get in to London<\/h2>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t lucky enough to be able to race in London next year, never fearas there are plenty of other options across the UK.<\/p>\n<p>From Manchester Marathon, billed as the flattest and most friendly, to the Great Welsh Marathon offering stunning views of the Llanelli Millennium Coastal Park, there\u2019s bound to be another option for you.<\/p>\n<p>The Brighton Marathon is held a few weeks before the London Marathon, or you could head to Blackpool and take in all of the seaside resort\u2019s tourist spots en route.<\/p>\n<p>Edinburgh Marathon is also known for its super-flat route, making it a great option for beginners, or if you want more of a challenge the multi-terrain New Forest Marathon takes you through the heart of the stunning national park.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong><strong><strong>Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"mailto:webnews@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\">webnews@metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>For more stories like this, <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>check our news page<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Good luck if you\u2019re hoping to run next year\u2019s race (Picture: Zac Goodwin\/PA Wire) The 2025 London marathon is fast approaching, but those preparing for this year\u2019s race may also be looking ahead to 2026. The course, which sets off from Blackheath and took runners past Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Canary Wharf, The Shard and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2450"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2457,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2450\/revisions\/2457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/softnary.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}