The London Marathon has set yet more records with organizers announcing that 1.8 percent of the UK’s adult population — more than 1 million people — have applied to run in next year’s race.
Running’s boom was reflected in a world record 1,338,544 global application for next year’s London Marathon — up from 1.13 million for this year’s race and more than double the amount they received in 2024.
The extraordinary figures were welcomed by London Marathon CEO Hugh Brasher, who said: “This astonishing total of more than 1.33 million ballot applicants firmly establishes London as the world’s most sought-after marathon. Nothing else comes close.”
Photo: Reuters
“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 London Marathon,” Brasher said.
Organizers said they had received 1,008,091 entries from the UK — topping the million barrier for the first time — with another 330,450 entries coming from 200 countries around the globe.
There was near-parity between female and male applicants. Notably the largest number of applications came from women aged 20 to 29 — with more than 179,000 in that age group applying — reflecting the popularity of running among members of generation Z.
Ballot results would be announced by early July, with places allocated through a random draw. Most applicants are likely to be disappointed given fewer than 20,000 people usually get a place through the ballot.
However, organizers are hoping to receive the go-ahead by the end of the month to stage a two-day London Marathon next year, which would mean two mass participation races and nearly double the number of people running to about 100,000.
This year’s marathon had a record 59,830 finishers and was the biggest annual one-day fundraising event in the world.
It also made global headlines with Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe running 1 hour 59 minutes 30 seconds to become the first man to break the two-hour barrier in a competitive marathon, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa set a world record for a women’s race without male pacemakers.
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