Yahoo News Runners will find out results of London Marathon 2021 ballot today
London Marathon organisers have announced plans to make the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon the biggest 26.2-miler ever staged
They are planning for a record 50,000 runners to run from Blackheath to The Mall in the traditional mass-participation race on October 3
As well as this, there will be 50,000 places available for runners around the world to take on the Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon the same day
The organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon are planning for 100,000 people to take part in this year’s event, which will make it the biggest marathon ever staged.
The traditional mass-participation race, which is set to take place on October 3, will involve 50,000 runners, while another 50,000, who don’t have a place in that event, will be able to run a virtual Virgin Money London Marathon from midnight on the same day. The 2020 Virtual London Marathon has received a Guinness World Record title for ‘most users to run a remote marathon in 24 hours’, with 37,966 runners completing the distance. The 50,000 figure for the traditional race is an increase of more than 7,000 on the previous finisher record.
Hugh Brasher, Virgin Money London Marathon Event Director, said, ‘With a national vaccination programme underway, we hope to see an unprecedented 100,000 people take part in this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday, 3 October.
‘The London Marathon is a wonderful example of sport as a force for good while raising millions for charity. It’s all about communities and people coming together and one of our founding pillars is “to have fun and provide some happiness and a sense of achievement in a troubled world”.
‘The world record-breaking success of the virtual event in 2020 and the incredible stories from participants across the globe showed how the world’s greatest marathon brought light and hope in the darkness of the pandemic. We want to offer that again and we have also accelerated the plans we have been working on for some years to increase the number of finishers on the streets of London to 50,000.
‘People can run wherever they are in the world, they can run for charity, they can run for their mental or physical health or run for the sheer enjoyment of it – whatever the reason, they will be part of a unique day in the history of the London Marathon on Sunday, 3 October.’
It has also been confirmed the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon and the Virtual Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon will return in 2021.
How do I get a place in the 2021 London Marathon?
All runners who entered the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon ballot will find out whether or not they have been successful on Monday 8 February. Unsuccessful applicants will have a window from Tuesday 9 February to Tuesday 16 February to enter the virtual event.
For the first time in the history of the London Marathon, the ballot results will be announced digitally instead of through the post. All applicants will be emailed a unique link to the official website to find out their ballot result.
General entries for the virtual 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon will open on Tuesday 16 February. Entries will cost £28 (plus an additional £10 for entries outside the UK to cover international postage) and like last year, all finishers will receive a running number before the event and get a finishers t-shirt and medal on completion.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: 'We know there will be many people celebrating today but we also know there will be many more who, unfortunately, were unsuccessful in the ballot. However, this is the best chance yet to be part of the Virgin Money London Marathon because 2021 is set to be the biggest marathon in the world. Unsuccessful runners can sign up to run for a charity or for our virtual Virgin Money London Marathon, which promises to be another amazing day in our history.
'We wish all applicants the very best of luck as they find out their results today.'
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