London Frontrunners

Applying To Enter the Virgin London Marathon

So you want to enter the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 25th April 2010!

The London Marathon is the biggest event on the running calendar however, every year many people are disappointed that they don't get a place to run. In order to prevent this, act now to avoid disappointment!

The ways and means to getting a place are detailed below.

The Ballot

The 2010 London Marathon online entry ballot system is now closed.

Good For Age

The 2010 Virgin London Marathon good for age entry system is now closed.

There are guaranteed places for runners who have achieved “Good For Age” times in a previous marathon. If you are a UK citizen and you've already run a full marathon in a particularly fast time, you might qualify for an automatic “good for age” entry into the 2010 Virgin London Marathon. If you have run a marathon in the same time, or faster than, the times listed below: then you need to send to the Virgin London Marathon organisers proof of the fact i.e. a copy of the result and proof of your age.

Faster than Good For Age?

The championship qualifying standards for a full marathon are sub 2:45 for men and sub 3:15 for women, for a half marathon the qualifying standards are sub 1:15 for men and sub 1:30 for women. The qualifying time must have been achieved since 1st January 2008.

Runners must be current members of a U.K. Athletics Affiliated Club. If you are a U.K. runner and have a Championship Qualifying Performance from 2008 or 2009, send proof of your performance (either a photocopied race certificate or a newspaper results clipping) and proof of ID (a photocopy of your passport, photographic driving license or birth certificate) to:

Championship Entries
Virgin London Marathon
P.O. Box 3460
London
SE1 0YA

Closing date for applications – 2nd January 2010
Closing date for completed entry forms to be received back in office – 8th January 2010

Charity

There is another way to be guaranteed a marathon place and that is to run for a charity. Many charities offer Golden Bond places to runners who agree to raise a certain amount of money for them. You can expect this to be between £750 and £2,000. The reason for this amount of money is due to the fact that the marathon organisers charge the charities to secure the places. Golden Bond places are snapped up very quickly and are often taken before the end of December. Your best bet is to choose a charity now and make sure that you have a Golden Bond place confirmed as soon as possible.

For details on the various charities that offer Golden Bond places, visit the particular web site or search the internet.

http://www.realbuzz.com/charity-listings/virgin-london-marathon/

The Club

Each UK Athletics affiliated running club such as London Frontrunners are allocated a number of club places depending on the size/membership of the club. These entries are handled via the club and in the past we have received 4 places. These places are given to club members via a draw which takes place in early December (depending when we know how many places we have).

Runners wishing to apply for a club place should refer to the rules and scoring system set out below.

Club Places

1. Membership and marathon entry criteria

   You must:

   1. Be a first claim club member for at least six months and not be in arrears for membership subscriptions.
   2. If you received a club place in the last 2 years, you will only be considered if places are not filled.
   3. If a points tie between individuals occurs when using the scoring below, names will be drawn from a hat.
2. Scoring system
    
   
   1. One point awarded for participation in any of the following events, within the last two years. All these events are chosen as they are open to all club members.
      1. Each of the Met league XC
      2. XC Championships
      3. River Relay
      4. Luton Marathon Relay
      5. Pride Run
   2. Participation in at least 2 handicap races within last two years = 1 point.
       
   3. Bonus points awarded for a major contribution to the club by organising an event or such like, to a maximum of 3 points.
      1. Pride Run (2 points available)
      2. Christmas Party / Pride Run Party
      3. Green Belt Relay
      4. Paris exchange event (or similar)
      5. Marshalling
      6. Handicap races
      7. External liaison / outreach eg London Pride / Brighton Pride

   Maximum of 20 Points available.