London Marathon 2026 and 2027 Ballot Opens
Introduction
The London Marathon 2026 is on Sunday, April 26. More than 59,000 people will run. The ballot for the 2027 marathon opened on Friday, April 24. A record number of people applied for the 2026 race: 1,133,813. The champions from last year, Sabastian Sawe and Tigst Assefa, want to run very fast and break records.
Main Body
The ballot for the 2027 London Marathon opened at 9:00 BST on April 24. It closes at 16:00 BST on May 1. The results come in early July 2026. UK runners pay £79.99. If they give the fee to the London Marathon Foundation, they pay £49.99. International runners pay £225. This includes a carbon offset fee. Organizers think about a two-day race for 2027. It could be on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25. If it happens, all ballot people run on both days. This lets more people run. People who do not get a place in the first draw go into a second draw. This gives them two chances. People who do not get a place in either draw get a hydration vest. The vest costs over £100. In 2026, only about 5% of people got a place. There were 869,803 UK applicants and 264,011 non-UK applicants. In the men's race, Sabastian Sawe is the champion. He thinks the course record can be broken. The record is 2:01:25. Sawe won in 2025 with 2:02:27. His shoes are very light. They weigh 96 grams. His pacemakers will run fast. They want to reach halfway in 60 minutes and 30 seconds. The wind will help. Sawe had an injury but now he is well. His rivals include Jacob Kiplimo, Tamirat Tola, and Yomif Kejelcha. Kiplimo finished second in 2025. He also set a half-marathon world record. Kejelcha runs his first marathon. British runner Emile Cairess cannot run because of an injury. Other British runners are Mahamed Mahamed, Phil Sesemann, and Patrick Dever. Olympic triathlon gold medalist Alex Yee will help as a pacemaker. In the women's race, Tigst Assefa is the champion. She wants to run faster than her world record of 2:15:50. She says her training is better this year. Her competitors are Hellen Obiri, Joyciline Jepkosgei, and British runners Rose Harvey, Eilish McColgan, and Jessica Warner-Judd. Ruth Chepng'etich cannot run. She got a three-year ban for a failed drug test. The weather on race day will be sunny. Temperature starts at 11°C and goes to 19°C. Former Olympian Steve Cram says runners should drink water. The London Marathon is very popular. Since 1981, more than 1.3 million people finished the race. It raised £1.4 billion for charity.
Conclusion
The 2026 London Marathon will happen with many runners and fast athletes. The 2027 ballot shows many people want to run. The possible two-day race in 2027 may let more people run. The elite runners want to break records.