More than 1.13 million people registered for the 2026 London Marathon set a new record, and the winning rate will be lower in the new year

If you want to participate in the London Marathon (Lunma), your chances of running in 2026 are dwindling. Runners know that the winning rate of Lunma is the lowest among the six marathons, and the race will say that in 2026, Lunma has received more than 1.1 million applications, breaking last year's world record again, in other words, the winning rate will be lower again in the new year.

In 2026, Lenma has received more than 1.1 million applications, setting a new world record

The Boston Marathon is the only event that must be achieved by the six marathons in London, Tokyo, Berlin, Boston, New York and Chicago, each with a small number of "semi-elite" seats, and can also get charity places by paying a fee, but most of the runners are registered through the Tai Wai lottery, so it takes a bit of luck to be able to participate.

The London Marathon, the most popular marathon, had the lowest success rate, with more than 840,000 applicants for the 2025 race breaking the world record last year, with 673,000 applications coming from the UK and 168,000 from overseas. Based on the fact that only about 17,000 runners can be drawn each year, the London Horse will only win 2% of the lottery in 2025.

The world's most popular London marathon

More than 1.13 million people registered for the 2026 London Marathon set a new record. The 2026 event, which closed for registration, set a new record for the number of participants in the draw, with more than 1.1 million applications announced, setting a new record. Nearly 1.134 million people from around the world signed up, of which nearly 870,000 were from the UK and about 264,000 from around the world.

The total number of participants in the draw was 1,133,813, 293,495 more than last year's 840,318. If the number of 17,000 winning signatures remains unchanged, the winning rate will further drop from 2% to less than 1.5%.

More than 1.13 million people registered for the 2026 London Marathon set a new record

The 45th London Marathon, which will be held on April 27, 2025, has 56,640 runners completing the race, breaking the world record of 55,646 set by the New York Marathon last year. Next year's event will be held on April 26, 2026.