5°
The coldest London Marathon on record, 5.3 degrees Celsius at the start, with 12.4 millimetres of rain making it the wettest London Marathon up to that point
2004 Ballot results
The datasheet
TCS London Marathon 2004 ballot: 24th edition, 31,659 finishers
The 2004 Flora London Marathon was the coldest in the race's history, 5.3 degrees Celsius at the start in driving rain, the day Kenya took both elite titles for the first time.
Edition
24th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
31,659
Total finishers
Race day
Apr 18
2004
Good-for-age
M2:52 W3:38
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2004 notable
The 2004 Flora London Marathon is remembered for brutal weather. It was the coldest running in the race's history at 5.3 degrees Celsius at the start, with 12.4 millimetres of rain that made it the wettest London Marathon up to that point, a mark held until Storm Alex hit the 2020 edition. Through the cold and wet, Kenya took both elite titles for the first time. Evans Rutto won the men's race in 2:06:18 ahead of Sammy Korir's 2:06:48. Margaret Okayo won the women's race in 2:22:35, with Lyudmila Petrova of Russia second in 2:26:02. A total of 31,659 runners finished from 32,746 starters, 23,265 men and 8,394 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 2004 ballot
Who won the 2004 London Marathon?
Evans Rutto of Kenya won the men's race in 2:06:18 and Margaret Okayo of Kenya won the women's race in 2:22:35. It was the first time Kenya took both elite titles in London.
Why is the 2004 London Marathon remembered?
It was the coldest London Marathon on record, 5.3 degrees Celsius at the start, and the wettest up to that point with 12.4 millimetres of rain. The 2020 race later surpassed it for rainfall.
How big was the 2004 London Marathon?
Around 108,000 people applied, 45,219 had entries accepted, 32,746 started and 31,659 finished, 23,265 men and 8,394 women. The application total was reported only as an approximate figure, so no exact applications count is recorded here.
When was the 2004 London Marathon held?
Sunday 18 April 2004. It was the 24th edition of the race, run under Flora sponsorship.
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