The London Marathon is one of the most popular races in the world and competition to get a place to run is fierce. If your goal is to run 26.2 miles through the capital, and you’ve already run your first marathon you might be able to bypass the ballot and qualify for a London Marathon Good For Age place.
What is London Marathon Good For Age?
The ‘Good For Age’ system rewards runners who have run a marathon in a time that is deemed by the London Marathon to be good for their age and gender. Anyone over 18 can qualify if they’ve run fast enough with the qualification times getting slower the older you get. Times for women are also slower than the qualification times for men as these are based on average finish times.
However, running a qualification time doesn’t guarantee you a spot at the London Marathon starting line as there are only so many allocated to each age group. If more people have applied than there are places available, the places are allocated to the fastest qualifiers first.
How fast do I need to run a marathon?
The Good For Age qualifying times for women in the following age groups are:
- 18-39 – sub-3:45
- 40-44 – sub-3:50
- 45-49 – sub-3:53
- 50-54 – sub-4:00
- 55-59 – sub-4:05
- 60-64 – under 4:30
- 65-69 – sub-5:00
- 70-74 – sub-6:00
- 75-80 – under 6:20
- 80-84 – under 6:40
- 85+ sub-7:10
Calculate your Goal Marathon Pace.
2024 London Marathon Good For Age entry
The qualifying period for the 2024 TCS London Marathon opened on 3 October 2022 and ends on 30 September 2023. You must have run your qualifying time at an in-person event that has a certified marathon course, or at the virtual 2023 TCS London Marathon.
More details on applying for a Good For Age place in the 2024 TCS London Marathon will be available on the London Marathon website by the end of June 2023.
If your marathon time that is less than 10 minutes under the qualifying time for your age group, you are advised to enter the 2024 TCS London Marathon Ballot as well as applying for Good For Age entry.
Need help prepping for a marathon? Check out our marathon base training plans.
