The TCS London Marathon ballot is like a lottery. Unlike regular TCS London Marathon participants, ballot winners receive a running place without having a fundraising target. A limited number of people are randomly chosen.

To get a ballot place for 2027, you will need to have entered the ballot (open from 24 April 2026). It’s usually only open for a week. If you’re chosen, you’ll have a limited amount of time to pay and secure your spot.

Ballot place runners can still choose to run for a charity, and we’d love for you to join #TeamRNID. You won’t have a fundraising target to aim for and will still get all the perks of being supported by our team.

RNID is allocated a set number of charity places for TCS London Marathon each year. Due to high demand, we have an application process to make it fair. Unfortunately, as we have such a high volume of applications and a very limited number of charity places available, not everyone who applies will be offered a place.

The deadline for all TCS London Marathon 2027 charity place applications will be Friday 17 July 2026.

Once you’ve filled in your application, our team will review it and get in touch with any questions.

We really want to know why you’ve chosen to support RNID and how you think you’ll aim to raise £2,500 or more, so please give us as much detail as possible. For example, have you run a marathon before? Will you organise any small events to reach your target? Does your company offer matched sponsorship?

Please note: If you’re successful with your application, there is a £65 registration fee per runner, which needs to be paid before your place in the event is secure.

We will aim to let everyone know the outcome of their application for a charity place by the end of August 2026.

The easiest way to set up a fundraising page is on JustGiving. All your donations will come straight to us. All you need to do is personalise your page with a photo and your reason for running, and send it to your family and friends.

You can find a guide to setting up an effective JustGiving page in our ‘How to Get Sponsored‘ page.

Once you have secured a place with #TeamRNID you’ll receive emails with plenty of information on how to maximise your fundraising and reach your training goals.

We’ll send you a branded RNID vest for you to train and run in. On the day you’ll have three lively cheer points from our team to spur you.

Yes, of course! The TCS London Marathon is an inclusive event. If you are visually impaired or feel that your hearing loss means that you need support on the day, you can apply for a free place.

You’ll need to contact the TCS London Marathon events team directly and outline your request and your reasons for needing support. You can contact them at [email protected] for more information.

Our main priority is you. We don’t want anyone to run if they are at risk of injuring themselves. If you are injured in the lead up to the event we can discuss the way forward together.

Please note: Due to limited charity place allocations from the organiser we cannot guarantee a place for you in the following year’s race.

We ask that runners taking one of our charity places aim to raise at least £2,500 to support the work of RNID. We will work with you to put together a fundraising plan that suits your needs and we’re always on hand to answer any queries, questions or concerns you may have about reaching your target.