You Got In. Now What? The First Month After a Ballot Win
Winning a marathon ballot is the easy part. The race organiser now expects a response, usually a fee, and eventually a training plan, all inside a much shorter window than the months you spent waiting for the result. What that window actually looks like differs by race.
What happens right after you win?
You get an email, and it comes with a deadline attached. London emailed 2027 ballot results on July 9, 2026, and winners had to confirm their details by 16:00 BST on July 31, roughly three weeks later, to secure the place. Tokyo notifies General Entry results on September 18, 2026, with a fee payment window opening immediately after for anyone selected. Neither race treats a ballot win as final until you act on it inside that window.
How much do you have to pay, and when?
At London, standard ballot winners pay the balance of the entry fee, £79.99 for UK residents or the international rate, as part of confirming by the deadline. Anyone who paid £49.99 upfront for the "double your chances" option owes nothing further if they win either draw, since that fee already covered entry. At Tokyo, the fee, roughly ¥23,300 for overseas entrants, is charged only after a winner is selected, not at the point of applying, so nothing is owed until the September results land.
When do you actually get your bib?
Not by mail, at either race. Tokyo does not post bibs at all: collection happens in person at the Tokyo Big Sight expo during race week, with photo ID and entry confirmation required. London bib pickup works the same way, at the ExCeL expo. Winning the ballot gets you a start slot, not a physical bib, so the in-person expo visit is not optional at either race.
What should you book first?
Flights and accommodation, before anything else. Both races fall in cities where marathon-weekend demand pushes hotel rates up fast once results are public, and both confirmations arrive with enough lead time to book normally rather than at a premium. London winners know by July 31 for an April 25, 2027 race, about nine months out. Tokyo winners know by late September for a March 7, 2027 race, about five and a half months out. Training plans can wait a few weeks. Hotel availability generally cannot.
When should training actually start?
Later than most winners assume. A standard marathon build runs 16 to 20 weeks, so a London winner confirmed at the end of July does not need to start a formal block until roughly December or January, and a Tokyo winner confirmed in late September has until around November. The months before that are better spent on base mileage and general fitness than an early peak that will not hold. Free alerts on this site also cover the race-week checklist closer to the date, so the logistics do not get lost between confirming a place and actually standing on the start line.
Full entry routes and current windows: London and Tokyo.
Sources: London Marathon Events: enter the ballot, Tokyo Marathon Foundation: participants entry schedule