The 2026 TCS London Marathon has broken a global record, attracting more than 1.1 million applications, making it the most popular marathon in history.
A total of 1,133,813 people have applied to run the iconic race, scheduled to take place on Sunday 26 April 2026. This figure surpasses the previous world record of 840,318 applications received for the 2025 event.
Organisers have hailed the milestone as a testament to London’s status as the world’s leading marathon destination.
The surge in interest represents a 36% increase on last year’s total and nearly double the number of entries submitted for the 2024 race.
The public ballot saw near-equal participation from men and women in the UK. Out of 869,803 domestic applications, 49.87% were from men (433,775), 49.55% from women (430,983), and 0.58% from non-binary applicants (5,044). An additional 264,011 applications were submitted from international participants.
The 2024 edition of the marathon also set a new Guinness World Record for the highest number of finishers in a single marathon. A total of 56,640 runners crossed the finish line, breaking the previous record of 55,646 set at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2024.
In addition to the main event, more than 15,000 children and young people took part in the 40th TCS Mini London Marathon on The Mall the day before, marking a record turnout for the youth event.
A total of 41 other Guinness World Records were also broken during the marathon weekend, including one runner who completed the course dressed as a traffic cone.
The ballot for the 2026 TCS London Marathon officially closed at 4pm on Friday.
