London Marathon 2027: Good for Age and Championship Qualifying Times

The 2027 TCS London Marathon drew 1,338,544 ballot applications, an 18% jump on the previous world record of 1,133,813 set for 2026, with 1,008,091 of those coming from the UK. The vast majority were unsuccessful, which is why interest in the non ballot routes has surged. Good for Age and Championship entry are the two routes where the decision is made on the clock rather than a random draw. Below are the standards as most recently published by London Marathon Events, confirmed as of July 2026, along with a plain account of which 2027 specific details have and have not been announced.

What is a Good for Age place at the London Marathon?

A Good for Age (GFA) place is a guaranteed entry route for UK residents who have run a marathon inside their age and gender qualifying time during the relevant qualifying window. The performance has to come from an in person marathon on a course certified by UK Athletics, AIMS or an equivalent national governing body. You upload proof of your result and proof of UK residency when you apply.

London Marathon Events caps GFA at 6,000 entries a year, split evenly at 3,000 men and 3,000 women. That cap is the part people miss. Hitting the standard earns you the right to apply, not the place itself. If more people apply than there are places in your category, entries are allocated fastest first, so in oversubscribed bands the effective cut off ends up faster than the published standard.

What are the Good for Age qualifying times?

The table below shows the Good for Age standards published by London Marathon Events on its official Good for Age entry page. At the time of writing, that page still displayed the criteria for the 2026 event and stated that details for 2027 would be shared later. Independent reporting has quoted the same times in the context of 2027, so the standards look set to carry over, but only the bands marked as reported have been repeated in 2027 coverage. Treat the rest as the most recent confirmed figures rather than confirmed 2027 figures.

Standards confirmed as of July 2026 from the official London Marathon Events Good for Age page. London Marathon Events can revise these standards, and it has changed them before, so confirm the current figures on the official Good for Age entry page before you commit to a target race.

What is a Championship place and what times do you need?

Championship entry is the fastest mass participation route into London, and the standards sit well inside club level rather than age graded level. Unlike Good for Age, it is not banded by age, and you do not have to be a UK resident. You do have to be a registered member of a UK athletics governing body in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Two rules catch people out. First, the half marathon standard is not a free alternative. It can only be used by runners who have never completed a marathon, or by runners whose marathon qualifying performance falls outside the qualification window. Second, the 1,200 place cap is allocated fastest first, so a time barely inside the standard is not a safe bet in a heavily oversubscribed year. Standards confirmed as of July 2026 from the official Championship entry page.

When and how do you apply?

This is the part where 2027 detail is thinnest, so here it is plainly. The qualifying window for 2027 Good for Age has been reported as 1 October 2025 to 30 September 2026, with applications expected to open shortly after the window closes in October 2026. That timing has not been confirmed on the official Good for Age page, which was still showing 2026 criteria and a note that 2027 details would follow.

For Championship entry, the 2027 qualification window and application deadline have not been confirmed either. As a guide to the shape of the process, the 2026 cycle used a qualification window of 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 with registration and payment required by 16:00 on 1 December 2025. Entry fees for the 2027 Good for Age and Championship routes have not been published. Windows, deadlines and fees vary year to year, so the only safe move is to check the official site before you plan a qualifying attempt.

The sequence is the same for both routes. Pick a certified marathon inside the window, run the time, and keep the official results link showing the event name, the date and your finish time. Apply within the published application window and upload your proof, plus proof of UK residency for Good for Age. The 2027 event is scheduled across Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027 as a two day edition.

What if you miss the qualifying time?

Missing a standard by a few minutes is common, and it is not the end of the route. London Marathon Events lists several other ways in: running for a charity, British Athletics club entry, international entry, and elite wheelchair entry. The charity route is the largest of these and stays open long after the ballot closes, usually in exchange for a fundraising commitment. Our guide to what happens after the 2027 ballot results walks through those alternatives.

The other option is to treat the near miss as data. A qualifying time is usually the product of two or three consistent training blocks rather than one inspired race day. Runners who stall short of a standard tend to be missing the same things: enough easy aerobic volume, a weekly session at goal marathon effort, strength work that keeps the hips and calves durable through a big mileage month, and mobility that stops small niggles turning into missed weeks.

That is the case for a plan built around you rather than a generic PDF. Edge builds a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within a day, and it flexes around your life when work, travel or a bad night's sleep gets in the way. You can message a real coach anytime to sanity check a session or reset a target. 18,000+ members train with Edge, and there is a free 7-day trial, then from £19.99/month.

Frequently asked questions

What are Good for Age and Championship entry, and how do they differ from the ballot?

They are performance entry routes. Rather than a random draw, you earn the right to apply by running a qualifying time on a certified course inside a set window. Good for Age is banded by age and gender, open to UK residents, and capped at 6,000 places split evenly between men and women. Championship is a single fast standard for members of a UK athletics body, capped at 1,200 places split evenly. Both allocate fastest first if oversubscribed, so meeting the standard is an application, not a guarantee.

Have the 2027 Good for Age times been officially confirmed?

Not on the official Good for Age page as of July 2026. That page still showed the criteria published for the 2026 event and said 2027 details would follow. Independent reporting has quoted the same headline times for 2027, but the safest approach is to train to the published standard and confirm the final figure on the official site before choosing a qualifying race.

Can I use a half marathon time to get a Championship place?

Only in limited circumstances. Half marathon standards can be used by runners who have never completed a marathon, or by runners whose marathon qualifying performance was achieved outside the qualification window. The most recently published half marathon standards are sub 1:11:30 for men and sub 1:26:00 for women.

Does hitting the Good for Age time guarantee me a place?

No. Good for Age is capped at 6,000 entries, 3,000 for men and 3,000 for women. If more qualified runners apply than there are places in a category, entries are allocated on a fastest first basis, which means the effective cut off can be faster than the published standard.

When is the 2027 London Marathon and how many people applied?

The 2027 TCS London Marathon is scheduled across Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027 as a two day edition. A world record 1,338,544 people applied through the public ballot, up 18% on the previous record of 1,133,813 set for 2026, with 1,008,091 applications from the UK and 330,450 from overseas.

Standards and figures in this article were confirmed as of July 2026. London Marathon Events can change qualifying standards, entry windows and cut offs from year to year. Always check the official London Marathon Events site as the authoritative source before entering.