10°
A brilliantly sunny day, around 10 degrees Celsius at 9am with a light easterly wind and 74 percent humidity
2003 Ballot results
The datasheet
TCS London Marathon 2003 ballot: 23rd edition, 32,536 finishers
The 2003 Flora London Marathon is the day Paula Radcliffe ran 2:15:25 for a women's marathon world record that stood for 16 years.
Edition
23rd edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
32,536
Total finishers
Race day
Apr 13
2003
Good-for-age
M2:52 W3:38
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2003 notable
The 2003 Flora London Marathon belongs to Paula Radcliffe. On a brilliantly sunny day near 10 degrees Celsius, with a light easterly wind, she ran 2:15:25 to take almost two minutes off her own women's marathon world record. The mark stood for 16 years, until Brigid Kosgei broke it in 2019, and is still rated among the greatest runs in the event's history. Catherine Ndereba was second in 2:19:55 and Deena Drossin third in 2:21:16. The men's race went to a sprint, Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia winning in 2:07:56 from Stefano Baldini on the same time and Joseph Ngolepus a second back. A record 111,000 people had applied, and 32,536 runners finished, 7,768 of them women.
Year over year
Applications over time
Applications · 2011 → 2026
164K170K167K170K173K247K254K386K414K578K840K1.13M
'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'24'25'26
Qualifying
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 |
FAQ
Questions about the 2003 ballot
Why is the 2003 London Marathon remembered?
Paula Radcliffe ran 2:15:25 to set a women's marathon world record, taking almost two minutes off her own mark. It stood for 16 years until Brigid Kosgei broke it in 2019.
Who won the 2003 London Marathon?
Paula Radcliffe won the women's race in 2:15:25 and Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia won the men's race in 2:07:56, edging Stefano Baldini on the same time.
How big was the 2003 London Marathon?
Around 111,000 people applied, a record high, 45,629 had entries accepted, 32,746 started and 32,536 finished, including 7,768 women. The application total was reported only as a record round figure, so no exact applications count is recorded here.
When was the 2003 London Marathon held?
Sunday 13 April 2003. It was the 23rd edition of the race, run under Flora sponsorship.
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