London Marathon club ballot places

London Marathon operate a ballot entry system due to its popularity. One of the perks of Black Pear Joggers being an England Athletics affiliated club is that we receive a number of places (currently 3 places for the 2023 London Marathon) based on the number of affiliated members we have. So if you don’t get in through the main ballot and don’t already receive automatic qualification through the ‘good for age’ system, then as long as you meet the criteria below, you can enter the club’s own ballot, the results of which are usually drawn at the Christmas party.

  • Membership for 12 months

    You must be a paid up affiliated member for at least 12 months at the time of the draw. Gaps in membership don’t count, so if you don’t renew your membership on time, you’ll lose out on being able to enter that year’s ballot.

  • Confirmation of rejection

    You need to have tried to enter the main ballot and been rejected. You’ll get an email or rejection slip in the post. You’ll need to provide evidence of this to the club secretary to prove that you entered the main ballot.

  • No club place in 3 years

    If you’re lucky enough to receive a club ballot place, then you won’t be eligible again for another 3 years.

  • Must wear club top*

    Members must wear club kit (t-shirt or vest) when running under a club ballot place. Failure to do so will result in a permanent exclusion from being able to enter the club ballot. Club place = club top.

    *This rule was voted in at the 2019 AGM and takes effect for the 2020 marathon.

So how do I enter the club ballot?

Once you hear back from the main ballot draw (around October), pass your rejection confirmation to the club secretary and check they’ve received it by the date below. If you miss the deadline for submitting your rejection confirmation, then unfortunately you’ll miss out, so it’s your responsibility to get this sorted.

Deadline for applications to 2023 club ballot: Thursday 1st December 2022

Previous ballot winners

Ballot for London 2023

  • Matthew Nicholls
  • Gareth Larner
  • Peter Darwen

Ballot for London 2020

Ballot for London 2019

Ballot for London 2018

Ballot for London 2017

Ballot for London 2016

Ballot for London 2015

Ballot for London 2014

Ballot for London 2013