15°
Cool and damp, a heavy rain shower at the start of the women's race and cloud that never lifted, temperatures held below 15 degrees Celsius after forecasts of 21
2010 Ballot results
The datasheet
TCS London Marathon 2010 ballot: 30th edition, 36,553 finishers
Aselefech Mergia is the official 2010 London Marathon women's champion after the original winner Liliya Shobukhova and runner-up Inga Abitova were stripped of their results for doping.
Edition
30th edition
Applications not published by race organiser
Field size
36,553
Total finishers
Race day
Apr 25
2010
Good-for-age
M2:52 W3:38
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2010 notable
The 2010 race opened the Virgin sponsorship era and ran as the 30th London Marathon on a cool, damp Sunday, with a rain shower at the women's start and temperatures held under 15 degrees Celsius after forecasts of 21. Tsegaye Kebede surged clear in the final miles to win the men's race in 2:05:19, ahead of Emmanuel Mutai and Jaouad Gharib, while defending champion Sammy Wanjiru dropped out injured near halfway. The women's race became the edition's defining story years later: original winner Liliya Shobukhova and second-placed Inga Abitova, both Russian, were disqualified for doping, so Ethiopia's Aselefech Mergia, third on the day in 2:22:38, was reallocated as champion. A total of 36,553 runners finished.
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 2010 ballot
Who won the 2010 London Marathon?
Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia won the men's race in 2:05:19. The official women's champion is Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia in 2:22:38, after the original winner and runner-up were disqualified for doping.
Why was the 2010 women's result changed?
Russia's Liliya Shobukhova crossed the line first and Inga Abitova second, but both were later banned for anti-doping violations and had their results annulled, promoting third-placed Aselefech Mergia to champion.
What was the weather at the 2010 London Marathon?
Cool and damp. A heavy rain shower hit the start of the women's race, cloud cover never lifted, and temperatures stayed below 15 degrees Celsius after forecasts of 21.
How big was the 2010 London Marathon field?
A total of 36,553 runners finished the 30th edition, made up of 24,423 men and 12,130 women.
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