London Marathon Ballot
Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions relating to the ORC London Marathon Ballot.
Can I get a London Marathon place through the club?
If you fulfil the ORC eligibility criteria and are lucky enough to be successful in the club draw, then yes!
Okehampton Running Club (ORC) is affiliated with England Athletics and as a result benefits from being eligible to receive a Club Places(s) at the London Marathon each year.
What if the member who gets a club place gets injured and can’t run?
Once the member has registered details with the London Marathon via the website and paid the place is theirs. If they get injured, then they can defer until the following year.
If they are injured and decide to turn down the place prior to registering, then the draw will be re-run.
What are the Eligibility Criteria to get my name in the draw?
To be eligible for the draw a member must:
- Have applied for a London Marathon place through the public ballot – proof is required in the form of a letter, email or screen shot stating that you have been unsuccessful in the public ballot
- Be a first claim, affiliated ORC member – if you think you may want to be included in the ORC ballot, please take out the affiliated membership option when joining or renewing your membership
- Over the age of 18
- Have volunteered/marshalled/coached or been on the committee during the last year
What are the reasons for the eligibility criteria?
The reasons for the Eligibility criteria are:
- If a member is able to get a place through the public ballot then they should take that opportunity - that way other, less lucky, members have a better chance through the Club Place ballot
- ORC is assigned its number of Club Place(s) in the London Marathon based on the number of “first claim members over the age of 18” it has registered with England Athletics”. It was decided at the 2018 ORC AGM that only the members who were affiliated (i.e. registered with England Athletics) should, therefore, be eligible
- London Marathon doesn’t let under 18s run in the event
- We want to thank those people who generously give up their time to support the club
How many places does ORC get?
The rules allocate places based on a club’s number of “registered, first claim members”.
Whilst subject to change the rules currently allocate places as follows:
- Clubs with between 10 and 150 members receive 1 place
- Clubs with 151-250 members receive 2 places
Further information can be found on the London Marathon web site here:
www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/en-gb/how-to-enter/british-athletics-club-entry/
I don’t fancy my chances. How else can I get a place?
You can run for charity. Google “London Marathon charity places” and you’ll get a whole host of organisations keen for you to raise money for them and details of how to apply (and how much they’d like you to try and raise).
Alternatively – run fast! You can qualify for a good for age place by running another official marathon within your stipulated Good for Age time. Pick a flat, fast one (not the Cornish or Eden!). More details are on the London Marathon website.
