Marathon Ballot Dates
Registration and ballot windows for the World Marathon Majors and other top races.
Ballot typically opens Monday after the race and closes the same week. Results announced the following week. Entry fee required at registration (refunded if unsuccessful).
International entries open separately from domestic (Japan) entries. International applicants apply through official travel agencies. Ballot is highly competitive, typically fewer than 10% acceptance rate.
NYRR members who run 9+ NYRR races in a year earn guaranteed entry. Non-members and members under the threshold enter the lottery. 9+1 program guarantees entry the following year.
Online ballot. Results announced in December. Fee required at sign-up (EUR); refunded if unsuccessful. Very popular, ballot acceptance around 10-15%.
Public lottery opens in late fall. Deferred entry available for runners who couldn't participate due to injury or other approved reason. Charity places open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis.
Boston is qualification-based, not a ballot lottery. Runners must meet the BQ standard for their age group and gender. Registration opens in September on a rolling basis, runners with the largest buffer over the BQ standard register first. Runners typically need to be 5+ minutes under BQ to receive an entry.
Not a ballot: first-come, first-served registration. Caps at ~25,000 runners. Sub-qualifier required (must show a sub-5:00 marathon or sub-5:00 50K within qualification period). Alternates between 'up' run (Durban to Pietermaritzburg) and 'down' run each year.