The ballot for the 2027 London Marathon is already open ahead of next year’s race.

An incredible 1,133,813 people entered the ballot for this year’s marathon, a new world record, shattering last year’s total of 840,318. It represents a 36% increase year on year and nearly double the applications for the 2024 race (578,304).

The ballot for next year’s event opened on Friday 24 April and is open for one week, until 4pm (BST) on Friday 1 May. The results will be announced in early July.

There is the prospect that next year’s event could take place over two days. As it stands, the race will take place on Sunday 25 April, 2027. However, there could be a one-off two-day event, taking place on Saturday 24 April, 2027, as well. Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said: “Entering the 2027 TCS London Marathon ballot could be the first step towards becoming part of something truly life changing.”

Here’s everything you need to know about how to enter:

How can I enter next year’s race?

You can secure a place in the 2027 London Marathon by entering the ballot via the official website.

The ballot opened at 9am (BST) on Friday 24 April and closes at 4pm (BST) on Friday 1 May. The results are compeltely random and will be announced at the start of July.

A two-day marathon event, over the weekend of 24-25 April 2027, is being explored. Should permission be granted for an event on the Saturday as well as the usual Sunday, applicants will be entered for both days, significantly increasing their chances of success.

The cost of a place in the London Marathon for successful UK participants is £79.99. You do not have to pay your entry fee at the ballot, but UK residents can opt to donate their entry fee to the London Marathon Foundation no matter the outcome of the ballot.

You will receive a confirmation email when you apply and you’ll also receive a payment receipt, if you have donated your entry fee. The results of the ballot will be emailed to all entrants in July.

Your entry fee, should you get a place through the ballot, is reduced from £79.99 to £49.99. If you live in the UK and didn’t opt to donate your entry fee when applying, you’ll need to pay the full entry fee of £79.99.

If you don’t get a place in the main ballot, you are automatically entered into a second ballot and that will at least double the chance of getting a place through that second draw. If you are successful in either ballot, your entry is prepaid and confirmed.

If you are unsuccessful in both ballots, you’ll receive a free hydrartion vest worth over £100, as consolation.

The ballot is performed at random, while alternative options include applying for a charity place while you wait for the results of the ballot – if you end up gaining a ballot place and a charity place, you can return your place to the charity and still raise funds for them as an own-place runner.

When is the 2026 London Marathon?

The 2026 London Marathon is on Sunday 26 April.

Next yeat’s event is set for Sunday 25 April, with the potential for an additional day on Saturday 24 April, 2027.

What time does it start?

8.50am – Elite wheelchair men’s and women’s races.

9.05am – Elite women’s race.

9.35am – Elite men’s race followed by mass start.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the London Marathon live on the BBC, with extensive television coverage and online streaming available via the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website.

What is the weather forecast?

Sunny temperatures are expected on Sunday, around 15C, with a gentle breeze, with conditions expected to be cooler than last year’s toasty (at least for April) 21C marathon-day peak temperature.

What is the route?

The London Marathon tends to follow a largely unchanged route since it was first run in 1981. Covering 26.2 miles, the course begins in Greenwich, dropping down from the high point of the race to follow a largely flat course, first heading east to Woolwich before doubling back on itself and follow the Thames to Bermondsey.

From there, the runners cut across London Bridge and turn right to take in Canary Wharf and London’s old Docklands, before a U-turn to track through central London, running along the Embankment until another right turn at Westminster Bridge towards St James’s Park.

The route takes in many famous London landmarks, from the Cutty Sark (mile six), Tower Bridge (mile 12), the Tower of London (mile 22) the London Eye and Big Ben (both mile 25) before its iconic finish line on The Mall near Buckingham Palace.

What is the prize money on offer?

The 2024 race was the first to offer equal prize money to the elite wheelchair races alongside their able-bodied counterparts.

The winners will receieve $55,000 (£40,700) each, the runner-up $30,000 (£22,200) and third-place $22,500 (£16,665).

There are also $150,000 (£111,000) bonuses on offer for running sub-2:02 for the men and sub-2:15 for the women, $125,000 (£92,600) for setting a new world record, and $25,000 (£18,500) up for grabs in the elite men’s and women’s races for a new course record.

A full prize money breakdown can be found here.

The move across to mainland tracks was a testing one for Geegees Mistruth, however the previous Tasmanian mare seized the greatest achievement yet by dominating the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) at Morphettville over the weekend.

Trained initially by Stuart Gandy, Geegees Mistruth triumphed in stakes company twice as a juvenile and ran places in three Melbourne Group contests in the 2024 Spring.

She collected two further Group 3 wins before heading to Mark Walker’s Cranbourne base, where she placed four times in six efforts amid stretches of bad luck, redeeming herself with the slimmest Saturday victory.

With Jordan Childs providing a flawless ride, the $31 longshot powered past Bridal Waltz ($6.50) bang on the line for a nose verdict, a mere whisker clear of repeat Sangster winner Charm Stone ($6.50) in third.

Flying For Fun ($13) was a half-head adrift of Geegees Mistruth in fourth during the heart-stopping blanket finish, as assistant trainer Ben Gleeson hailed the long-awaited success for the promising four-year-old.

“Her journey this spring and the autumn just sums up racing. It’s a lot of lows, but when the highs happen, they’re worth it,” Gleeson said.

“This filly arrived in our care back in the spring, and she came over in great order. Stuart Gandy, who has done all the work with her as a young horse and done a wonderful job.

“We just sort of thought, God, when are we going to get some luck with her? At least we got her when it counted most.

“She just peeled off their backs and I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’

“She very rarely changes legs, and you sort of saw her do it for the first time in a long time.

“Credit to Jordy – he got his hands down in her neck and got the head down when it counted.”

For Childs, it represented a second Group 1 conquest, echoing his first from eight years prior in the 2016 Blue Diamond Stakes.

“It’s been a long time between drinks,” Childs said.

“Written By in 2018, I’ve had quite a few placings in between in the big group ones, and I was sort of hoping my second one would come a bit sooner, but anyway, still very grateful for the ride and the connections.

“Once I presented her, she quickened up well, we were getting challenged by the other horses, and she was able to hold on.”

“I wasn’t sure (who won), and I was looking up the drone to see where it was going, and it was pretty close to me, but Zahra was there as well, so I wasn’t sure if it was me and him, and then he said that I won.

“Winning another group one, it’s great.”

Punters can find excellent online bookmakers offering markets on Robert Sangster Stakes contenders.

Former Team USA women’s gymnast Jennifer Sey was a guest at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., on Saturday when shots were fired.

Sey told Fox News Digital her reaction to the shooting in an exclusive statement.

“Terrifying. Should have been an amazing night. I came to celebrate free speech and those who believe in it. As I walked in and there were protesters I was scared for a moment and then I thought it’s ok. I was wrong,” she said, adding she was forced to hide “under table.”

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Jennifer Sey, the 1986 U.S. national all-around gymnastics champion, performs a split leap during competition. (XX-XY Athletics/Jennifer Sey)

Jennifer Sey is a former elite gymnast best known for winning the 1986 USA Gymnastics National Championship. A seven-time member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, she achieved this top national title after recovering from a broken femur in 1985. Her accomplishments also included a third-place team finish at the International Mixed Pairs and a second-place team finish at the USA-URS Dual Meet in 1987.

Sey, who is also the founder of the activist sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics, has become a prominent activist in the “save women’s sports” and general conservative movement in recent years.

Jennifer Sey founded XX-XY Athletics in March 2024 to emphasize the empirical truth of biology, she said. (XX-XY Athletics)

Chaos erupted at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when gunshots were heard and President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom Saturday night.

Video from inside the event showed attendees diving under tables and taking cover as panic spread throughout the room.

Fox News’ John Roberts reported from the ballroom that shots were fired and that he had heard the suspected shooter was engaged by Secret Service.

POLICE INVESTIGATING USA CYCLING INCIDENT AFTER FOOTAGE OF ORGANIZERS’ INTERACTION WITH ACTIVIST GOES VIRAL

Fox News anchor Bret Baier said he also heard shots fired, but noted they did not appear to originate from inside the ballroom.

Sources told Fox News the individual never made it inside the ballroom, was taken into custody and removed from the scene.

President Trump was seen being quickly escorted out of the room by security, and White House officials tell Fox News Digital both he, the first lady and Karoline Leavitt are safe at this time.

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It remains unclear what prompted the incident.

Fox News Digital’s Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Carson Hocevar has left a positive review for Cleetus McFarland’s top-5 ARCA finish at Talladega. The Spire Motorsports driver was captured supporting McFarland on Saturday afternoon’s Alabama Manufactured Housing 200.

Driving the No.30 Ford, McFarland began on the tenth row and two spots behind his YouTube collaborator, George Siciliano. The Nebraska native chased down the field and entered the top 10 with the guidance of his spotter, Kevin Hamlin.

The race’s first restart saw him battling for the lead with polesitter Giovanni Ruggiero, and a timely push from Daniel Dye made him the race leader. McFarland reached the front row once again during the final lap, but his tussle with Gus Dean opened the door for Andy Jankowiak to take the checkered flag.

Hocevar caught the action from the sidelines and was cheering for McFarland the whole way. Under a NASCAR post dedicated to McFarland’s result, the Cup Series driver wrote,

“Was fun to watch.”

Cleetus McFarland and Carson Hocevar have been friends for a while now. The two were last spotted in NASCAR’s promo for the 2026 season.

Saturday’s result marks Cleetus McFarland’s second top-5 ARCA finish this season. The 30-year-old logged a P4 result at Rockingham earlier. Notably, McFarland was denied approval to compete in the O’Reilly race at Talladega.

The sanctioning body wanted him to gain more experience in short tracks before making the jump to superspeedways. CEO Steve O’Donnell called it the right call on NASCAR’s part.

However, McFarland is cleared for all Truck Series races.

Cleetus McFarland gets emotional after Talladega top-5

Cleetus McFarland shared an emotional message after his runner-up result at Talladega. During his post-race interview, McFarland proclaimed that he ‘gained a lot of confidence’ and ‘learned a lot about drafting’.

“What an insane day of racing and the greatest race I’ve ever been a part of in my life right there…..honestly the most fun I’ve had with clothes on,” McFarland said.

“I did get a smidge emotional, because I was just like, when we were under caution, I was sitting there thinking, like, ‘Oh man, I’m at the front of the stamp pack’”, he added, “I know a lot of people are supporting me. And like, I just saw some guys with their sleeves cut off in the crowd; just like the third time we’ve gone by under costume, they were just like this. And I was like, man, so I’m so lucky, dude.”

Cleetus McFarland is slated for another ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway and an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Nashville.

Fans can watch the Nashville race on CW. The 188-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, at 7:30 PM ET. The Michigan ARCA race is scheduled a week later on June 5.