Rejected From the London Marathon 2027 Ballot? Here's How You Can Still Run It

Article written and published June 2026.

So you've got the London Marathon rejection email. Welcome to the club. I'd love to tell you it's an elite club, but with well over a million of us getting the same "you've not been successful this year" message, it's less elite and more the norm.

You knew it was coming, didn't you? You held your breath, refreshed your inbox, and waited for the one email that could carry you off on the journey of a lifetime. You probably got the same email last year. And the year before. And quite possibly several years before that. So this didn't feel elite. It felt inevitable.

And here's the kicker for 2027. A record 1.33 million people entered the ballot, the biggest in the race's history. Even with the headline news that there are two London Marathons in 2027 (Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, a one-off "Double" welcoming 100,000 runners across the weekend), the maths is still brutal. More places than ever, sure. But more than a million of us were always going to miss out.

But don't hang up your trainers just yet. There are still ways to line up in London next April, and I'm going to walk you through every one of them.

Jim Trott delivers your ballot result

What's in this guide

• First, a quick reality check on the numbers

• So what are your options now?

• Right, let's talk charity places, because this is your best shot

• Which charity applications are still open?

• Every charity offering London Marathon 2027 places

• The coaching that gets me to the start line: Runna

• Frequently asked questions

• Over to you

• About the author

First, a quick reality check on the numbers

Everyone says London is the one to do. The crowds are some of the best in the world, the course from Greenwich to Westminster is iconic, and it's a World Marathon Major. That's exactly why 1.33 million of us pile into the ballot every year.

A few things worth knowing for 2027 specifically:

• The ballot for 2027 closed back on 1 May 2026 and will not reopen. If you didn't enter, that particular door is shut for this year.

• Ballot results land by early July 2026, by email and in your entry account. If you donated your entry fee when you applied, you were entered into the draw twice, giving you extra chances.

• Successful runners are randomly assigned to either the Saturday or the Sunday. You don't get to pick your day, and you can't run both in person (though you can do the in-person race one day and the virtual TCS London Marathon MyWay the other).

• From 2028, the race goes back to a single day. The Double is a one-off.

  
  

So if the email hasn't landed yet, you're not out until it says you're out. But if it has, read on. (If you want the full lowdown on how the two-day Double works and what it does to your odds, I broke it all down in my post on the 2027 London Marathon Double.)

London Marathon 2027 - it's a double year article

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So what are your options now?

Let me be straight with you. For the vast majority of us, there is realistically one route back into London for 2027: a charity place. The ballot is gone, and the other routes are narrow. But they do exist, so here's the honest run-down, quickest wins first.

1. A charity place (the realistic route for most people)

This is the big one. Each year there are roughly 25,000 charity places across hundreds of charities, and right now is the time to get a compelling application in. Some application windows have already closed, but plenty remain open, and the charities are choosing their runners as we speak. More on how to nail your application below, plus the full list of 2027 charities with direct links.

2. Your running club

Affiliated running clubs receive a limited allocation of places. If you're already a member, ask. If you're not, joining a club won't guarantee you a 2027 spot, but it puts you in the conversation for future years (and makes you a better runner in the meantime).

3. Good for Age

If you've already run a marathon in a qualifying time for your age and gender, you may be able to claim a Good for Age place. It's competitive and capped, and full 2027 criteria are confirmed by the organisers in the autumn, but if you're quick, it's worth a look.

4. Championship entry

For the seriously speedy. If you've run a sub-3:10 marathon (women) or sub-2:45 (men), or the equivalent half times, and you're registered with your national governing body, Championship entry gives you a place and a start pen just behind the elites. Check the current qualifying standards before you bank on it.

5. An official tour operator

If you're based overseas, or you just want a guaranteed place with the hotel-and-hospitality side sorted for you, official tour operators sell guaranteed-entry packages. They aren't cheap. Expect to pay well into four figures for the all-in deals. But the place is guaranteed.

6. Run it virtually, or save your legs for another spring marathon

If your heart is set on 26.2 in 2027 but not specifically on London's streets, the virtual TCS London Marathon MyWay lets you run the distance your way on either race day. And there are brilliant spring marathons (Manchester, Brighton, Paris, Seville, Rotterdam) that you can enter right now without a ballot.

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Right, let's talk charity places, because this is your best shot

If you genuinely want to run London and a charity place is your route, you have to mean it. This isn't a backdoor. You'll be asked to raise a meaningful sum, often somewhere between £1,500 and £2,500, and the charity is trusting you with one of a tiny number of places. So if supporting the cause isn't truly central to your motivation, don't approach a charity. Just keep trying the ballot. You absolutely must want to represent the charity and be fully committed.

But if you do mean it? Brilliant. Let's get you to the top of the pile.

I'll let you in on why this matters so much to me. Running and fundraising are woven together for me. As a cancer survivor I've raised for several cancer charities over the years, ChemoHero, Macmillan and The Robin Cancer Trust among them, and I can tell you there is nothing quite like crossing a finish line knowing your miles meant something to someone else. A charity place isn't a consolation prize for missing the ballot. Done for the right reasons, it's the best version of the whole experience.

A word of warning: charities can smell a ChatGPT application a mile off

Last month I was chatting with a charity that had just 12 places for London 2027. The number of applications they received was many, many times that. And something they flagged, a trend they've watched grow over the last couple of years, is the flood of AI-generated applications.

Here's the thing: if you ask ChatGPT to knock out a generic charity application, it is very easily spotted, and it lands you in the reject pile very quickly. The charities reviewing these read hundreds of them. Generic, polished, soulless waffle stands out for all the wrong reasons. By all means use AI to tidy your spelling or structure, but the story, the why, the heart, that has to be yours.

My top 3 tips for an application that makes the "consider" pile

A strong application balances heart + plan + commitment: why you care, how you'll fundraise, and why the charity can trust you with one of their limited places.

1. Show a genuine connection to the cause. Explain why this charity matters to you. A specific story, lived experience or clear personal motivation is worth ten times more than "I've always wanted to run London." Make them feel it.

   
   

2. Prove you can hit the fundraising target. Charities want confidence you'll raise the money. Spell out a realistic plan: workplace match funding, a launch donation from friends and family, raffles, local business sponsorship, social media, community events. Show them you've thought about how, not just that you will.

   
   

3. Be memorable and committed beyond race day. Show energy, reliability and follow-through. Tell them what you'll do beyond 26 April: sharing training updates, championing their work, volunteering, becoming a long-term supporter. Give them a reason to believe you're a partner, not just a runner.

   
   

Which charity applications are still open?

Honest answer: it varies, and it changes daily. Every charity sets its own deadline and its own fundraising target, and they're filling places right now. The big names with lots of places (think British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, Mind) often have availability later into the year, while smaller charities with a handful of places can close within days of opening.

So my advice is simple: decide on your cause, then apply today. Don't sit on it. Use the table below to go straight to each charity's own London Marathon page. That's where you'll see whether they're still recruiting and what their target is. If your first choice has closed, your second choice might still be wide open.

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Did you enter the ballot for London?

• Yes
• No

Every charity offering London Marathon 2027 places

Here's the full list of charities offering places for the 2027 TCS London Marathon, pulled from the official London Marathon Events charity listing, with a direct link to each one's application or fundraising page. Causes range across cancer, children, mental health, disability, hospices, animals, the armed forces and more, so there's something close to everyone's heart.

A quick note: this list is large and the organisers update it regularly, so do sanity-check against the official source before you apply. Links go to each charity's own site.

See the official, always-current list here: London Marathon Events charity page.

Charity	Cause area	Apply for a 2027 place
Achilles International	Disability	Apply
Acorns Children's Hospice	Children / Hospice	Apply
Action for A-T	Health	Apply
Action for Children	Children	Apply
Action Medical Research	Children / Health	Apply
ActionAid UK	Community / Social Welfare	Apply
ADA All Dance Abilities	Children / Disability	Apply
Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust	Community / Health	Apply
Against Breast Cancer	Cancer	Apply
Alzheimer Scotland	Health	Apply
Alzheimer's Research UK	Health	Apply
Alzheimer's Society	Health	Apply
Ambitious about Autism	Children	Apply
American Cancer Society	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Amnesty International UK	Community	Apply
Anthony Nolan	Cancer / Health	Apply
Arthritis UK	Disability / Health	Apply
Asthma + Lung UK	Health	Apply
Autism Speaks TeamUp	Children (USA)	Apply
Autistica	Community	Apply
Barnardo's	Children	Apply
Battersea	Animals	Apply
Beat	Health / Mental Health	Apply
Birmingham Hospice	Hospice	Apply
Birmingham Women's and Children's Hospital Charity	Children	Apply
Blind Veterans UK	Armed Forces	Apply
Bliss	Children	Apply
Blood Bikes Wales	Health	Apply
Blood Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
Blood Cancer United (Team In Training)	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Blue Cross	Animals	Apply
Bone Cancer Research Trust	Cancer	Apply
Boston Children's Hospital	Children (USA)	Apply
Bowel Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
Bowel Research UK	Cancer	Apply
Brain Research UK	Health / Disability	Apply
Breakthrough T1D	Health	Apply
Breast Cancer Now	Cancer	Apply
Bright Futures UK	Children	Apply
British Heart Foundation	Health	Apply
British Red Cross	Health	Apply
CAFOD	Social Welfare	Apply
Camp One Step	Children (USA)	Apply
Cancer Research UK	Cancer	Apply
Cardiomyopathy UK	Health / Disability	Apply
Cats Protection	Animals	Apply
Caudwell Children	Children	Apply
CCLG: The Children & Young People's Cancer Association	Cancer	Apply
Centrepoint	Children / Social Welfare	Apply
Cerebral Palsy Cymru	Children / Disability	Apply
Chance to Shine	Children / Sport	Apply
Charlie Waller Trust	Mental Health	Apply
Child Bereavement UK	Children	Apply
Children with Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
Children's Tumor Foundation	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation	Disability (USA)	Apply
CNWL NHS Health Charity	Health	Apply
Crimestoppers Trust	Community	Apply
Crisis UK	Community / Social Welfare	Apply
Crohn's & Colitis UK	Health	Apply
Cure EB	Children / Health	Apply
Cure Parkinson's	Health	Apply
CurePSP	Health (USA)	Apply
Cystic Fibrosis Trust	Health	Apply
Dare2tri	Disability (USA)	Apply
DEBRA	Disability / Health	Apply
Demelza	Children / Hospice	Apply
Dementia UK	Health	Apply
Depaul UK	Community	Apply
Diabetes UK	Health	Apply
Disability Challengers	Disability	Apply
Dogs Trust	Animals	Apply
Epilepsy Action	Health / Disability	Apply
Epilepsy Society	Health	Apply
Evelina London Children's Charity	Children	Apply
Get Kids Going!	Children / Disability	Apply
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity	Children	Apply
Greenhouse Sports	Children / Sport	Apply
Group B Strep Support	Children	Apply
Guide Dogs	Animals / Disability	Apply
Guy's & St Thomas' Charity	Community / Health	Apply
Haven House Foundation (Children's Hospice)	Children / Hospice	Apply
Haymakers for Hope	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Hearing Dogs for Deaf People	Animals / Disability	Apply
Heart Research UK	Health	Apply
Helen & Douglas House	Children / Hospice	Apply
Home-Start UK	Children	Apply
Hospice UK	Hospice	Apply
Huntington's Disease Association	Health / Disability	Apply
Jacob Billington Trust	Community	Apply
Kidney Care UK	Health / Disability	Apply
Kidney Donor Athlete	Health (USA)	Apply
Kids in Mind	Children / Mental Health	Apply
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation	Sport / Social Welfare	Apply
Leukaemia Care	Cancer	Apply
Leukaemia UK	Cancer	Apply
London's Air Ambulance Charity	Community / Health	Apply
Macmillan Cancer Support	Cancer	Apply
MACS (Microphthalmia, Anophthalmia & Coloboma Support)	Children / Disability	Apply
Maggie's	Cancer	Apply
Make-A-Wish UK	Children	Apply
Marie Curie	Health / Hospice	Apply
Matt Hampson Foundation	Sport / Disability	Apply
Meningitis Now	Health	Apply
Meningitis Research Foundation	Health	Apply
Mental Health Foundation	Mental Health	Apply
Mind	Mental Health	Apply
Miscarriage Association	Health	Apply
Motor Neurone Disease Association	Health	Apply
Move For Hunger	Community (USA)	Apply
MQ Mental Health Research	Mental Health	Apply
MS Society	Disability / Health	Apply
MS Trust	Disability / Health	Apply
MS UK	Disability / Health	Apply
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Muscular Dystrophy UK	Disability	Apply
Myeloma UK	Cancer	Apply
National Autistic Society (Charity of the Year)	Community / Disability	Apply
National Deaf Children's Society	Children / Disability	Apply
NHS Charities Together	Community / Health	Apply
Nightingale Hammerson	Disability / Health	Apply
Noah's Ark Children's Hospice	Children / Hospice	Apply
NSPCC	Children	Apply
OCD-UK	Mental Health	Apply
Organization for Autism Research	Disability (USA)	Apply
Outward Bound Trust	Children	Apply
Ovacome	Cancer	Apply
Ovarian Cancer Action	Cancer	Apply
Oxfam	Community	Apply
Pancreatic Cancer Action	Cancer	Apply
Pancreatic Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
Parkinson's UK	Health	Apply
Phab	Disability	Apply
Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care	Hospice	Apply
Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent	Hospice	Apply
PKD Charity	Disability / Health	Apply
PoTS UK	Community / Health	Apply
Power2	Children	Apply
Prevent Breast Cancer	Cancer	Apply
Princess Alice Hospice	Hospice	Apply
Project Purple	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Prostate Cancer Research	Cancer	Apply
Prostate Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
PSPA	Health	Apply
Rainbow Trust Children's Charity	Children	Apply
Rays of Sunshine	Children	Apply
Refuge	Community	Apply
Release Recovery Foundation	Health (USA)	Apply
Rethink Mental Illness	Mental Health	Apply
Retina UK	Disability	Apply
Rett UK	Disability	Apply
RFU Injured Players Foundation	Health / Sport	Apply
RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)	Disability	Apply
RNID	Disability	Apply
RNLI	Community	Apply
Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children's Charity	Children	Apply
Ronald McDonald House	Children	Apply
Rooprai Spinal Trust	Disability	Apply
Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation	Cancer	Apply
Royal British Legion	Armed Forces	Apply
Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals	Community / Health	Apply
Royal Free Charity	Community / Health	Apply
Royal Mencap Society	Disability	Apply
Royal Osteoporosis Society	Disability / Health	Apply
Run Kids Run	Children	Apply
Salvation Army	Community	Apply
Samaritans	Mental Health	Apply
Sands	Health	Apply
Sarcoma UK	Cancer	Apply
Save the Children UK	Children	Apply
Scleroderma & Raynaud's UK (SRUK)	Disability / Health	Apply
Scope	Disability	Apply
Sebastian's Action Trust	Children	Apply
Sense	Disability	Apply
Sense International	Disability	Apply
Shelter	Social Welfare	Apply
SHINE (Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus)	Children / Disability	Apply
Shooting Star Children's Hospices	Children / Hospice	Apply
Sick Children's Trust	Children	Apply
SkyWay Charity	Disability / Community	Apply
Smile Train UK	Children	Apply
Smile Train US	Children (USA)	Apply
Solving Kids' Cancer UK	Cancer	Apply
Southern Hospice Group	Hospice	Apply
SpecialEffect	Disability	Apply
Spinal Research	Disability	Apply
Spitalfields Crypt Trust	Community	Apply
Spread a Smile	Children	Apply
SSAFA (the Armed Forces charity)	Armed Forces	Apply
St John Ambulance	Health	Apply
St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney	Hospice	Apply
St Mungo's	Social Welfare	Apply
St Raphael's Hospice	Hospice	Apply
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	Children / Cancer (USA)	Apply
Starlight	Children	Apply
Stroke Association	Disability / Health	Apply
Sue Ryder	Hospice	Apply
Target Ovarian Cancer	Cancer	Apply
Team Challenge (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation)	Health (USA)	Apply
TEAM PAWS Chicago	Animals (USA)	Apply
Team Volo Kids	Children (USA)	Apply
Team World Vision	Children (USA)	Apply
Teenage Cancer Trust	Cancer	Apply
Terrence Higgins Trust	Health / LGBTQ+	Apply
Thames Valley Air Ambulance	Community / Health	Apply
The Brain Tumour Charity	Cancer	Apply
The Cancer Treatment & Research Trust (CTRT)	Cancer	Apply
The Children's Society	Children	Apply
The Children's Trust	Children	Apply
The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields	Community	Apply
The Daisy Garland	Children	Apply
The Gurkha Welfare Trust	Armed Forces / Community	Apply
The Hoyt Foundation	Disability (USA)	Apply
The Institute of Cancer Research	Cancer	Apply
The Lily Foundation	Health	Apply
The Lullaby Trust	Children	Apply
The Michael J. Fox Foundation	Health (USA)	Apply
The MPS Society	Disability	Apply
The Natalie Kate Moss Trust	Health	Apply
The Passage	Social Welfare	Apply
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity	Cancer	Apply
The Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC)	Children / Disability	Apply
The Shark Trust	Animals	Apply
The Toybox Charity	Children	Apply
The UK Sepsis Trust	Health	Apply
The V Foundation for Cancer Research	Cancer (USA)	Apply
Together for Short Lives	Children / Hospice	Apply
Tommy's	Children	Apply
tuesday's children	Armed Forces (USA)	Apply
University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Charity	Health	Apply
USA for UNHCR	Social Welfare (USA)	Apply
VICTA	Children / Disability	Apply
Volo Kids Foundation	Children (USA)	Apply
Walkabout Foundation	Disability	Apply
WaterAid	Health / Community	Apply
Whizz Kidz	Children / Disability	Apply
Women's Aid	Community	Apply
World Cancer Research Fund	Cancer	Apply
World Child Cancer	Cancer	Apply
World Jewish Relief	Social Welfare	Apply
WWF UK	Animals / Environment	Apply
Young Lives vs Cancer	Cancer	Apply

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The coaching that gets me to the start line: Runna

Securing your place is one thing. Actually getting to that start line fit, healthy and ready to enjoy 26.2 miles is another, and it's where a lot of charity runners come unstuck.

I've trained for plenty of marathons and ultras now, and the one thing I lean on every single time is Runna. It's the coaching in my pocket, or on my wrist, that I trust to get me to the start line and see me all the way to the finish. Adaptive plans that flex around your life, sessions that actually make sense for the goal you're chasing, and a structure that turns "I've got a place, now what?" into a calm, confident build-up. Whether London 2027 is your first marathon or your tenth, having a plan you trust takes the guesswork out of it.

And because you're a reader of this blog, you get something special: an exclusive 2-week free trial of Runna Premium, which is double the usual trial length. Download the app and enter promo code ANDY2, or redeem it here.

So once your place is sorted, get your training sorted too. Future you, somewhere around mile 20 on The Mall, will thank you.

Exclusive offer - Runna Premium 2 week free trial - click to redeem

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Frequently asked questions

How many people entered the London Marathon 2027 ballot? A record 1.33 million people (1,338,544 to be exact) entered the public ballot for the 2027 TCS London Marathon, the largest in the event's history.

When are the London Marathon 2027 ballot results announced? Results are released by early July 2026, sent by email to the address you entered with and shown in your official entry account. If it hasn't arrived, check your spam and promotions folders before contacting the help desk.

Why are there two London Marathons in 2027? To meet the extraordinary demand, the 2027 race is a one-off two-day "Double" on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027, welcoming 100,000 runners across the weekend on the same Greenwich-to-Westminster route. From 2028 it returns to a single day.

Can I choose whether I run the Saturday or the Sunday? No. Successful ballot runners are randomly assigned a day. You can't pick, and you can't run both in person, though you can complete the virtual MyWay event on the other day if you fancy a double.

I didn't get a ballot place. What's my best chance of still running London 2027? For most people, a charity place is the realistic route. The ballot has closed and won't reopen, so securing a place through one of the hundreds of participating charities, by committing to a fundraising target, is your strongest option.

How much do I have to fundraise for a charity place? It varies by charity, but typical targets sit somewhere between £1,500 and £2,500. Always check the individual charity's target before you commit, and make sure it's a figure you're genuinely confident you can hit.

Is it too late to apply for a charity place? Not necessarily. Many charities are still recruiting runners, especially the larger ones with more places. Smaller charities fill up fast, so apply as soon as you've chosen your cause rather than waiting.

Can I defer or am I automatically entered next year? There's no automatic rollover for an unsuccessful ballot entry. You'd need to re-enter the ballot when it next opens. Deferrals apply only to people who already hold a place and can't take part, not to rejected applicants.

What if I don't get a place at all? You've still got options: run for a charity, join a club, chase a Good for Age or Championship time, go through an official tour operator, run the virtual MyWay event, or pick one of the many other spring marathons that don't require a ballot.

Over to you

So that's the lot. The ballot may have said no, but London 2027 isn't off the table. For most of us, it just means choosing a cause we believe in and earning our place the meaningful way.

So get to it. Choose your charity carefully, make it genuine, and write an application that comes from the heart and stands out for the right reasons. Then let me know how you get on. I'll be cheering on a lot of your successes over on Instagram, so come and join me there @runningwestwardho.

And will I be running London in 2027? Who knows.

About the author

Andy Hood is an ultra and endurance runner, a cancer survivor and a proud Runna ambassador. After a testicular cancer diagnosis, he laced his shoes back up and turned running into a force for good, designing bold, attention-grabbing ultras (from a 170-mile run to Land's End and the Tour du Mont Blanc to his Krispy Kreme London ultras) that spark conversations, raise awareness around testicular cancer and have raised close to £30,000 for cancer charities. He's also the founder of the Check Ya Balls underwear range, a cheeky brand with a serious, life-saving message: check yourself, and see your doctor if anything changes.

You can follow the journey, read more training tips and grab the merch at runningwestwardho.co.uk, or come and say hello on Instagram @runningwestwardho.

Article contains affiliate links/codes, I may receive a commission if your purchase products/services from the companies listed, at no cost to you. This goes towards running the blog, bringing you interesting content and supporting my cancer charity fundraising, with over £27,000 raised for various cancer charities.