London Marathon 2020 ballot, entry and date: How to apply for next year’s running race

Thousands of runners descended on the capital this weekend to take part in the London marathon.

Pictures of smiling (albeit sweaty) faces crossing the finish line will no doubt inspire plenty of others to take part in the marathon next year.

Hopeful runners will be assigned a place via a ballot but, as you'd imagine, the London marathon is a heavily over-subscribed event, meaning not everyone is successful.

Last year, more than 400,000 people entered the ballot, vying for the 17,500 places up for grabs.

The ballot typically opens soon after the year’s marathon has concluded, so here’s everything you need to know about entering:

When does the ballot open?

The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but we have a good idea of when registration will open.

Last year, the ballot opened eight days after the marathon so anticipating that a similar pattern will apply this year, we can expect the ballot to reopen around May 6.

How to enter

Potential runners will be able to sign up for free on the London marathon website. You must be 18 years old to apply.

Applicants won’t find out if they have a place until October.

There’s an entry fee involved (last year, it was £35 for club affiliated runners and £39 for non-club affiliated runners), but you’ll only need to pay if your application is successful.

What happens if I don't get a place?

If you don't get a place, you can apply to run for a charity. You’ll just need to raise a minimum amount of money.

The London Marathon website has a list of charities that have guaranteed spots for the event.

For speedy runners, you can also apply via the Good For Age Entry, which reserves a total of 6,000 spots divided evenly between men and women. If you make the qualifying time for your age (3 hours for men and 3 hours 45 minutes for women aged 18-39), you can automatically submit your entry without going through the ballot process.

When is the London Marathon 2020?

A date hasn't been confirmed yet for the London Marathon next year, but in previous years it has typically taken place on one of the last two Sundays in April.

So it's likely the event could take place on April 26 next year.