5°
Cold and partly cloudy start near 5 degrees Celsius, a chilly April Sunday morning with a fresh north-northwesterly wind, dry on a high near 9 degrees
2016 Ballot results
The datasheet
TCS London Marathon 2016 ballot: 247,069 applications
Eliud Kipchoge ran 2:03:05 to smash the course record at the 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon, eight seconds off the world record, behind a then record 247,069 ballot applications.
Applications
247,069
Field size
39,091
Total finishers
Race day
Apr 24
2016
Ballot open
May 4
2015
Ballot close
May 8
2015
Good-for-age
M2:52 W3:38
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2016 notable
The 2016 Virgin Money London Marathon was Eliud Kipchoge's masterpiece. The Kenyan defended his title in 2:03:05, a course record and the second-fastest marathon ever run at the time, finishing just eight seconds outside Dennis Kimetto's world record on a cold London morning. Stanley Biwott chased him home in 2:03:51, with Kenenisa Bekele third. The women's race went to Jemima Sumgong, who took her first major title in 2:22:58 after picking herself up from a heavy fall near 23 miles, edging Tigist Tufa by five seconds. Behind the elites, the ballot had already made news: a record 247,069 applications, swollen by an entry window extended to five days. A field of 39,091 finished in partly cloudy, near 5 degree conditions.
Year over year
Applications over time
Applications · 2014 → 2026
170K173K247K254K386K414K578K840K1.13M
'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 2016 ballot
How many people applied to the 2016 London Marathon ballot?
247,069 in total, a world record for the event at the time and up from 172,888 a year earlier, after the entry window was extended to stay open for five days. London Marathon Events does not publish a clean public-ballot acceptance rate, so the application count is the reliable headline figure.
Who won the 2016 London Marathon?
Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya won the men's race in 2:03:05, a course record. Jemima Sumgong of Kenya won the women's race in 2:22:58, taking her first major title despite a fall around 23 miles.
What record did Eliud Kipchoge set in 2016?
He broke the London Marathon course record with 2:03:05, the second-fastest marathon ever run at the time and just eight seconds outside Dennis Kimetto's world record. Stanley Biwott was second in 2:03:51 and Kenenisa Bekele third in 2:06:36.
When did the 2016 ballot run and what was race-day weather like?
The public ballot opened on Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2015 and closed at 17:00 on Friday 8 May 2015, a five-day window. Race day on Sunday 24 April 2016 was cold and partly cloudy, near 5 degrees Celsius at the start with a fresh north-northwesterly wind, dry on a high around 9 degrees. A field of 39,091 runners finished.
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