London Marathon charity places: How to get a place in the race if you weren’t lucky in the ballot

The London Marathon in 2020 will be the 40th anniversary for the famous race, so it’s unsurprising that this year’s ballot to enter was the most popular so far in its history, leaving hopeful runners looking for charity places for a chance to take part instead.

457,861 people signed up and those who entered the ballot for a place in the London Marathon in 2020 will find out whether or not they have been successful by the end of this week, Friday 11 October.

If you haven’t been successful in getting a place in the race through the ballot, don’t fret, there is another way.

London Marathon hopefuls can apply for a place to run through one of the many charities, and here’s how.

How to apply for a place in the London Marathon

Every year, thousands of runners enter the race through London Marathon charity places.

The list of charities who have guaranteed places in the Virgin Money London Marathon are listed on the Virgin London Marathon website and include the likes of Great Ormond Street Hospital, Amnesty International, the NSPCC and Cancer Research UK – although there are over 60 different charities to choose from.

If you want a London Marathon charity place, you’ll have to contact your chosen charity directly to see if they’ve got any places to offer you. You can do this through the charity listings page on Virgin’s website or go to the charity direct.

Places are offered to runners on the agreement that they will raise a certain amount of money for the charity. This is normally around £2,000.

Virgin advises: ‘Please note, there are usually more runners interested in running for each charity than there are charity places available, so the charities will select their runners based on the runner’s connection with the good cause and how much money they are realistically able to raise for the charity.’

Those wishing to apply for a London Marathon charity place should do so as soon as possible, as some charities have registration deadlines that close as soon as Sunday October 13.

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