{"id":18066,"date":"2019-10-14T09:39:08","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T14:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=18066"},"modified":"2023-03-22T06:47:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T11:47:29","slug":"odds-of-getting-a-place-in-the-london-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/odds-of-getting-a-place-in-the-london-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Chances of Getting a Place in the London Marathon"},"content":{"rendered":"
By the end of October, hopeful runners will have found out whether they were lucky enough to secure a spot through the ballot system for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, the most popular marathon on the planet<\/a>.<\/p>\n A record number of 457,861 hopefuls applied to take part in next year\u2019s event, but only around 17,500 people will get a ballot space. We all know it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get a place, especially if you’re using the ballot system, but what exactly are your chances of getting a place in the London Marathon? We’ve analyzed the stats to show you. Spoiler alert: the odds get worse every year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let’s take a closer look at the number of entries and successful entries. Over the years, the maximum number of ballot entries has been fairly stable: generally around 17,500<\/a> runners are able to enter the race this way. We calculated odds based on these estimates.<\/p>\n But the number of people applying<\/a> for those spots has skyrocketed, especially since the entry process went online in 2009<\/a>. In the past 10 years, the chances of getting a spot have got slimmer and slimmer, which is a trend we can expect to continue every year.<\/p>\n In 2009, 32% of applications were successful, compared to the 13% who were successful in 2019. So if you got a space, count yourself lucky!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Previously, there was a scheme where you would get a place if you were unsuccessful for five consecutive years, but the numbers have become so big that it became mathematically impossible!<\/p>\n The ballot is open for five days at the end of April into the beginning of May. So for the 2019 London marathon, the ballot was open from Monday April 30 until Friday May 4, 2018.<\/p>\n It’s open for five days to avoid issues with religious holidays, work schedules, traveling competitors and other restrictions that could make it impossible for someone to sign up at the first second the registration opens, as well as to avoid the site crashing. When it used to be capped for entry, some would-be competitors were not even able to login in time to submit a ballot.<\/p>\n Just like the lottery, winning ballots are drawn completely at random. There is no weighting or preference given. Standard UK entry costs \u00a339, with that price going down to \u00a335 if you’re a member of a UK-affiliated running club. Overseas entries cost \u00a380.<\/p>\n You’ll find out in mid-October if you got a space, through a magazine in the post.<\/p>\nHow the ballot works<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Why is the London Marathon so popular?<\/strong><\/h2>\n