More than a million people have applied to enter the 2026 London Marathon

Participants will be chosen by random draw in July.

More than one million people have registered to participate in the 2026 London Marathon , organizers announced on Saturday, May 3, calling the number a world record. A total of 1,133,813 people have applied to enter the race, also the world's largest one-day fundraising event, which is scheduled to take place on April 26.

An "absolutely astounding figure which shows once again that London is by far the most popular marathon on the planet," said Hugh Brasher, managing director of London Marathon Events. The overwhelming majority of applications are from British nationals, that is, almost 870,000 people (almost as many women as men). The results of the draw will be emailed to all applicants in July, the organizers say, adding that "everyone has an equal chance."

In 2025, 840,318 runners registered for the draw to participate in this year's edition, a figure that was again up from the previous year. Only 56,000 lucky runners were able to take to the starting line at the end of April, where Ethiopian Tigst Assefa won with a new world record.