London Marathon qualifying times are only one method runners can enter the race. There is the ballot(lottery) method, running for a charity, and many more. We’ve outlined them below.

We’ve also outlined how to qualify for the Boston Marathon, how to qualify for the New York City Marathon, how to qualify for the Tokyo Marathon, and how to qualify for the Kona Ironman.

London is part of the World Marathon Majors, so many people desire to be in this race.

When is the London Marathon?

The 2025 London Marathon will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2025.

The professional wheelchair athletes first at approximately 8:50am.

London Marathon start time for Professional elite women is at 9am. London Marathon start time for Professional men begins around 9:35am.

London Marathon start time for amateur athletes begins at approximately 9:40am in waves. The last start wave will begin around 11:15am.

1 – The London Marathon Qualifying Times

Meeting the qualifying time for your age group is akin to golden tickets for the London Marathon.

In the London Marathon, these “qualification standards” are referred to as the Good For Age (GFA) times.

What Are Good For Age Times?

The London Marathon adopted the term “Good For Age”(GFA) for the qualifying standard times for each age group. If you have completed a qualifying marathon under these finishing times, you can apply for entry into the London Marathon.

You have to submit evidence for your GFA spot and entry is not guaranteed even if you can meet these benchmarks. Good For Age places are allocated based on the fastest times submitted relative to each age group’s qualifying standard on a ‘fastest first’ basis. The fastest runners in each age group are given priority, so the more under the time limit you can get, the better.

However, remember that the fastest runners are given priority. The London Marathon caps the number of GFA places at 6,000, distributed equally between male and female runners based on the fastest qualifying times in comparison to the set standards.

Oh, and only UK residents and citizens are allowed entry using the GFA time entry method.

Men and Women Good For Age Entry Qualifying Time Chart

In an exciting twist, the London Marathon accepts virtual marathon qualifying times (from the TCS London Marathon MyWay) alongside evidence of an ‘in-person’ half marathon time that meets specific qualifying standards.

For instance, to qualify through the virtual London Marathon, male runners aged 18-39 must finish a half marathon in under 1:23:37, while females must do so in under 1:44:23 during the qualifying period. Proof of this ‘in-person’ half marathon time meeting the GFA standards within the same qualifying period is mandatory when using times from virtual races to qualify.

Men and Women Good For Age Virtual Event Qualifying Time Chart