The money run: most of the entrants in this year’s London Marathon, which is being staged on Sunday, have paid entry fees of £80. The company which organises the event has annual turnover of almost £60million
With this year’s gaudy procession of fun runners – it long ago ceased to be a “race” – less than 48 hours away, the ballot for the 2027 London Marathon has opened today.
There were more than 1.1million applicants for the 2026 London Marathon, but in 2027 the organisers are considering staging their event over two days, and at a stroke double their revenues, some of which is disbursed to sporting and charitable causes in and around the capital.
This year’s race is hoping for 59,000 runners, most of whom paid a £79.99 entry fee.
The 2027 London Marathon is scheduled to be run on April 25. And possibly April 24, too.
The 2027 ballot is open until 4pm on Friday May 1. Marathon organiser say: “It is a completely random draw, just like the National Lottery. The ballot results will be announced by early July.”
And they explain how the two-day marathon over the Blackheath/Greenwich Park to St James’s Park 26-mile 385-yard course might work: “Should permission be granted for this one‑off two‑day format it would take place on Saturday 24 and Sunday April 25.
Race course: the marathon route has stayed largely th same since it was first staged in 1981, though adjustments occur every year due to road works and new buildings
“All ballot entrants would automatically be entered into the ballot for both the Saturday and Sunday events, though they would only be able to take part in one, significantly increasing their chances of securing a place in the 2027 TCS London Marathon.”
Former sports shop manager Hugh Brasher is the chief exec of London Marathon Events, a £300,000 per year job it has always been denied was anything to do with his father, Chris Brasher, having been the co-founder of the event which was first staged in 1981.
Brasher said that “anyone can be part” of the London Marathon. “Everyday heroes can stand shoulder to shoulder on the same start line as the fastest marathon runners on the planet,” although that is not technically true: the elite races usually begin on Blackheath before the mass start, with thousands of runners in the mass field being funnelled through a start line in Greenwich Park.
But echoing the language once used by his father when writing for The Observer newspaper, Brasher junior says, “It is a day like no other when humanity comes together with community, unity and purpose. Entering the 2027 TCS London Marathon ballot could be the first step towards becoming part of something truly life-changing.”
According to its most recent reported accounts, London Marathon Events had an annual turnover of £59.8million, with a pre-tax profit (the bit handed over to the charitable foundation) of just £12million.
Runners taking part in the 2025 event used the marathon to raise an estimated £87.3million for their own choice of good causes.
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