TCS London Marathon 1983 ballot: 3rd edition, 15,793 finishers
Grete Waitz won the 1983 London Marathon in 2:25:29, a women's world record that stood for only a day before Joan Benoit broke it at Boston.
What made 1983 notable
The third London Marathon, run on Sunday 17 April 1983, belonged to Grete Waitz. The Norwegian won the women's race in 2:25:29, a marathon world record, only for it to last a single day before Joan Benoit ran 2:22:43 at Boston the following afternoon. Britain's Mike Gratton answered the home crowd with a breakthrough 2:09:43 to win the men's title and the British championship, with Gerry Helme second in 2:10:12. It was the final year of Gillette's founding three-year sponsorship before Mars took over in 1984. Of the entries accepted, 15,793 runners completed the course through the city streets.
Applications over time
Good-for-age standards
View full age-group standards
| Age group | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 18-34 | 2:52:00 | 3:38:00 |
| 35-39 | 2:52:00 | 3:38:00 |
| 40-44 | 2:57:00 | 3:43:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:02:00 | 3:46:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:07:00 | 3:53:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:12:00 | 3:58:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:34:00 | 4:23:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:52:00 | 4:53:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:52:00 | 5:53:00 |
| 75-79 | 5:07:00 | 6:13:00 |
| 80-84 | 5:27:00 | 6:38:00 |
| 85-89 | 6:10:00 | 7:10:00 |
| 90+ | 7:20:00 | 7:45:00 |
Questions about the 1983 ballot
Who won the 1983 London Marathon?
Britain's Mike Gratton won the men's race in 2:09:43 and Norway's Grete Waitz won the women's race in 2:25:29.
Did the 1983 London Marathon set a world record?
Yes. Grete Waitz's 2:25:29 was a women's marathon world record, but it stood for only one day before Joan Benoit broke it at the Boston Marathon the next afternoon.
When was the 1983 London Marathon held?
Sunday 17 April 1983, the third running of the event and the last under founding sponsor Gillette.
How many people finished the 1983 London Marathon?
15,793 runners finished. London did not publish an exact application total that year, so a ballot acceptance rate cannot be calculated.