24.1°
Hottest London Marathon on record, 24.1 degrees Celsius at St James's Park, warm and sunny with high humidity
2018 Ballot results
The datasheet
TCS London Marathon 2018 ballot: 386,050 applications
The 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon was the hottest on record at 24.1 degrees Celsius, run off the back of a then world-record 386,050 ballot applications.
Applications
386,050
Field size
40,255
Total finishers
Results date
Oct 2
2017
Race day
Apr 22
2018
Ballot open
May 1
2017
Ballot close
May 5
2017
Good-for-age
M2:52 W3:38
Open category (18–34)
Race day weather
What runners faced on the course
Context
What made 2018 notable
Race day on 22 April 2018 reached 24.1 degrees Celsius at St James's Park, the hottest London Marathon on record, and the heat dominated the day: organisers urged runners to lower their goals and added cooling showers along the route. The ballot behind it had already made history, drawing a then world-record 386,050 applications. Despite the conditions, a record 40,255 runners finished, 768 more than the previous year. Eliud Kipchoge won the men's race in 2:04:17, his third London title, while Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya took the women's race in 2:18:31. Mo Farah finished third in 2:06:21, a British record that broke Steve Jones' 33-year-old mark of 2:07:13.
Year over year
Applications over time
Applications · 2018 → 2026
386K414K578K840K1.13M
'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 2018 ballot
How many people applied to the 2018 London Marathon ballot?
386,050 in total, a world record for any marathon at the time. London Marathon Events does not publish a clean public-ballot acceptance rate, so application counts are the reliable headline figure.
Why was the 2018 London Marathon so hot?
Race day on 22 April 2018 reached 24.1 degrees Celsius at St James's Park, the hottest London Marathon on record. Organisers added cooling showers and urged runners to lower their time goals.
Who won the 2018 London Marathon?
Eliud Kipchoge won the men's race in 2:04:17, his third London title. Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya won the women's race in 2:18:31. Mo Farah finished third in a British record of 2:06:21.
How many runners finished the 2018 London Marathon?
A record 40,255 runners crossed the line despite the heat, beating the previous year's finisher total by 768. The 2018 ballot opened on 1 May 2017, closed on 5 May 2017, and results landed on 2 October 2017.
Free alerts · TCS London Marathon
Want the next TCS London Marathon ballot window?
Set alert