London vs New York: Which Marathon Is Harder to Get Into?

London and New York are the two biggest ballots in the Marathon Majors, and they handle the odds question in opposite ways. London's 2027 ballot drew 1,338,544 applications, a world record for a fourth straight year, but London Marathon Events has never published how many of those applicants get a bib. New York is blunter: more than 240,000 people applied for the 2026 drawing, and NYRR states plainly that only about 1% get in through the general pool.

How many people applied to each?

London's 2027 ballot pulled 1,338,544 applications, up 18% on the 1,133,813 that set the previous record for 2026. UK residents filed 1,008,091 of those and overseas applicants 330,450. New York's 2026 drawing drew more than 240,000 applications from over 160 countries, a record for that race and a near 20% jump on 2025. Both totals are the biggest either race has ever recorded, in the same year.

What are the actual odds?

New York publishes a number: roughly 1% accepted through the general drawing, plus a member-only second-chance drawing for eligible non-finishers at up to 2%. London does not publish a comparable figure. This site's last confirmed London acceptance rate was about 1.3%, from an earlier, smaller ballot; London Marathon Events did not release a public-ballot bib allocation or acceptance rate for the record 2027 draw. Treat London's odds as historically similar to New York's, in the low single digits, without an official confirmation for the current cycle.

What does each race actually look like?

London is a flat loop from Greenwich to The Mall through the centre of the city, typically 8 to 14°C on race morning. For 2027 only, it expands into a one-off two-day Double across Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, letting a record 100,000 runners take part instead of the usual field. New York is the largest marathon on earth by field size, a rolling five-borough course from Staten Island through Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan, finishing in Central Park, usually 5 to 13°C. Its 2026 field holds at roughly 55,000, no equivalent expansion.

What does each cost?

London charges £79.99 for UK residents and £225 for international entrants if the ballot succeeds. New York charges $255 for NYRR members and $315 for non-members. Charity routes cost more at both: London's official charity partners set minimums of £2,000 to £3,000, while New York's range from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the partner.

So which is harder to get into?

By the only odds either race actually confirms, New York: about 1% is one of the tightest published rates of any Major. London's true 2027 rate is unknown, but with 1.3 million applicants chasing a field that did not grow anywhere near proportionally even with the two-day expansion, there is no real reason to expect it beat New York's number. Both are ballots, not open registration, and both keep getting harder as application totals climb every year. The Marathon Ballot Simulator models how repeated entries change your odds over multiple cycles for races that publish a rate. Full histories: London and its 2027 ballot, New York and its 2026 drawing.

Sources: London Marathon Events: record 1.33 million applications, London Marathon Events: 2027 Double announcement, NYRR: 2026 drawing record