London Marathon 2012 ballot opens

The countdown to the next London Marathon has begun. Applications are now being accepted for the ballot on the London Marathon site. As before, applications will be affected by the category to which you hope to apply.

There are several categories of runner. Most runners will apply to the ballot, giving them a 1 in 5 chance of being accepted to run. Some will apply through charities or running clubs. Meanwhile especially capable runners can apply through the 'Good for age' entry process - they will be offered a place if they have a recorded race time a within a pre-determined value.