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 be eligible for the draw a member must:

  • Have been a first claim, affiliated ORC member for at least 12 months
  • Not held the ORC club marathon place in the last 5 years
  • Not run the London Marathon in the previous year, regardless of how the place was obtained
  • Have applied for a London Marathon place through the public ballot and been unsuccessful (evidence of rejection required)
  • Over the age of 18
  • Have volunteered at a club event in the last 12-months or perform a volunteer role in the club

What are the reasons for the eligibility criteria? 

The reasons for the Eligibility criteria are:

  • 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
  • To enable as many ORC members as possible the opportunity to run the London marathon
  • 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
  • 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