Good For Age and Championship Entry for the 2026 TCS London Marathon opens on Thursday 2 October 2025.
Here’s everything you need to know about London Marathon Good For Age and Championship Entry, including qualifying times, dates and all the conditions for your application.
How do the London Marathon qualifying times compare to the other World Marathon Majors? See here for a full comparison of all major marathon qualifying times.
WHAT IS LONDON MARATHON GOOD FOR AGE?
London Marathon Good For Age is for faster marathon runners living in the UK. Qualifying times are by age and gender, and listed in full below.
Enter: Thursday 2 October 2025 until 16:00 on Thursday 30 October 2025. You can apply here.
Results: Announced on Monday 8 December 2025.
How many places? 6,000 (3,000 men and 3,000 women)
Eligibility to apply for a Good For Age place in the 2026 London Marathon.
UK Residents: Only UK residents are eligible to apply for a Good For Age place.
Qualifying window: 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.
Course: You must have run the time on a course certified by UKA, AIMS or another official national governing body. You can also use a time from the TCS London Marathon MyWay.
Age: For London Marathon Good For Age, your age is based on your age when you ran the qualifying time.
Proof: You will need to provide proof of age, proof of performance and proof of address.
Non-guaranteed entry: Achieving the time standard and other eligibility criteria only qualifies you to apply for a place. Places are limited and fastest-first in each age and gender bracket.
2026 London Marathon Good For Age Qualifying Times
LONDON MARATHON GOOD FOR AGE FAQ
You can only defer a London Marathon Good For Age place if you are pregnant or postpartum.
Yes, of course. Speak directly with your charity of choice to learn more about fundraising.
WHAT IS LONDON MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY?
London Marathon Championship Entry is for faster club runners who have achieved the qualifying standards. The Championship start sets off right behind the elite men’s field and is intended for the best long distance runners in the UK.
Enter: Thursday 2 October 2025 until 16:00 on Thursday 23 October 2025. You can apply here.
Results: Announced on Monday 10 November 2025.
How many places? Capped at 1,200 (600 men, 600 women) and is fastest-first if applications exceed the cap. If unsuccessful, UK residents may be offered a Good For Age place. This is an increase from previous years (1,000 places).
Eligibility to apply for a Championship place in the 2026 London Marathon.
Qualifying window: 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.
Course: You must have run the time on a course certified by UKA, AIMS or another official national governing body.
UK Athletics membership: You must be a registered member of a UK athletics body (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland). You can apply if you do not live in the UK but are a member of a UK Athletics club (but if unsuccessful you won’t be eligible for a Good For Age place).
Proof: You must submit a link to the results webpage of your qualifying race, which clearly displays the name and date of the event and your time.
Times will be checked: London Marathon Events state: “Any falsification or misrepresentation will result in being banned from all future events organised by London Marathon Events for a period of up to five years. A second breach will mean a ban of up to life from all of our future events.”
Half-marathon times: These can only be used by runners who’ve never completed a marathon.
2026 London Marathon Championship Entry Qualifying Times
LONDON MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY FAQ
You can apply to change your entry from your ballot place to Championship Entry if you qualify with all the above criteria and want to be part of the Championship Entry start. Contact London Marathon Events to do this.
No. There are 1,200 places available (600 men, 600 women) and if the cap is exceeded then it’s fastest first.
In all previous years runners have been required to wear their club vest on the Championship start line.
Championship Entry is a single qualifying standard each for men and for women, and is not age-based. The Championship start sets off with the elite men.
FAQ ON LONDON MARATHON QUALIFYING
Typically the London Marathon ballot opens just before each year’s race and remains open for just over one week. Results are usually announced in June.
The 2026 London Marathon takes place on Sunday 26 April 2026.
No, for 2026’s race there isn’t non-binary entry for Good For Age or Championship. This is because it follows World Athletics guidelines.
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Lead image from London Marathon Events
