Why there are no person-to-person transfers
London Marathon is one of the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors — alongside Boston, Tokyo, Chicago, Berlin, New York and Sydney. All seven operate a strict no-transfer policy as part of their shared event standards.
The reasons are structural: every London Marathon entry is tied to a specific runner's identity, medical information, emergency contact, and chip timing data. Transferring that to another person creates safety risks on course, corrupts race records, and undermines the ballot system that hundreds of thousands of runners enter each year. The policy isn't going to change.
The deferral system exists as the sanctioned alternative — it carries your entry forward to the following year rather than transferring it to a different person.
Who can defer — by entry type
Deferral eligibility depends on how you entered. Here's the full breakdown:
How to defer your entry — step by step
London Marathon sends an email nearer race day with a personalised link to Manage My Booking. This is the only official channel for submitting a deferral — do not try to call or email the organisers without this link. Check your inbox (and spam folder) in the weeks before the April deadline.
Check which category you entered under — ballot, GFA, club, charity, etc. — before you begin the deferral process. GFA and Championship runners need to satisfy the pregnancy/postpartum condition. If you're unsure, your original entry confirmation email will state your entry type.
Use the Manage My Booking link to formally request a deferral. The deadline is 23:59 on Saturday 25 April 2026 — the night before the race. Missing this deadline by even a few hours means your place is forfeited with no recourse.
After submitting, you'll receive an email with payment instructions. UK runners pay the full 2026 entry fee again to secure the 2027 place. International runners pay an adjusted fee. This is in addition to the original entry fee you've already paid — which is non-refundable regardless.
Email confirmation of your guaranteed 2027 entry follows. You will not need to re-enter the ballot for 2027. Note: your 2027 start time and wave will be allocated closer to that race — you don't inherit your 2026 wave.
The deferral deadline
The deadline falling the day before race day is intentional — it gives you maximum time to make the decision while still allowing the organiser to manage wave allocations. There's no benefit to waiting until the last minute. If you know you can't run, submit as soon as you receive the Manage My Booking email.
Fees — what you'll pay to defer
| Runner type | Deferral fee | Original entry fee | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK ballot runner | Full 2026 entry fee | Non-refundable (already paid) | ~2× entry fee total |
| International ballot runner | Adjusted fee (lower) | Non-refundable (already paid) | Original + adjusted fee |
| Forfeit (no deferral) | N/A | Non-refundable (already paid) | Original entry fee lost |
If you're on the fence about deferring, consider that the 2027 ballot typically receives 800,000+ applications for around 50,000 places. A guaranteed 2027 entry, even with the additional deferral fee, is worth significantly more than the entry fee itself to most runners. Defer if you're eligible.
Special rule: pregnancy and postpartum
London Marathon has an enhanced deferral policy for runners who are pregnant or postpartum, which is worth knowing about specifically if you hold a Good For Age or Championship place:
- You can defer to any of the next three years (e.g., 2027, 2028, or 2029 from a 2026 entry)
- You retain your GFA or Championship status without needing to re-qualify — your qualifying time carries forward
- This applies regardless of how you entered — ballot, GFA, club or otherwise
- You only need to declare your situation in the deferral form; no medical documentation is required upfront
What if you're not eligible to defer?
If you hold a tour operator, sponsor, or MyWay place and can't run, your options are limited. A few things worth trying:
- Contact your provider directly. Tour operators and sponsors occasionally have internal flexibility that isn't advertised publicly. It costs nothing to ask, and the worst answer is no.
- Apply to the organisers anyway. In extreme circumstances — bereavement, serious illness, pregnancy — London Marathon occasionally makes compassionate exceptions outside the standard policy. Be honest, be specific, and provide whatever documentation supports your case.
- Accept the loss and plan 2027. The 2027 ballot opens during the 2026 race weekend. Entering that ballot immediately is your clearest path back in.
London Marathon's next ballot opens while the 2026 race is taking place. If you're forfeiting your 2026 place, have your registration ready to go on race weekend. The ballot fills quickly and interest is highest in the days immediately following the race.
Unofficial swaps — the risks
Facebook groups and running forums regularly host posts from runners trying to "swap" or "gift" their London Marathon place. This is understandable — people have trained hard and don't want the entry wasted. But the risks are real and worth understanding clearly.
- Disqualification. If you run under someone else's name and are identified — through photo finish, Strava tracking, or any other means — your result is void and the original entrant may face a future entry ban.
- Safety risk on course. Your bib carries your medical information and emergency contact. If something goes wrong mid-race, paramedics will have the wrong information for the person wearing the bib.
- Scam risk. Some "bib swap" posts are fraudulent. There's no way to verify an entry without going through official channels, and payment is typically requested upfront.
London Marathon is a World Major. BibBuddy's bib exchange covers events with official transfer processes. For London, the only legitimate option is the official deferral system described in this guide.
Running a different race instead?
Most UK and Australian marathons still have official transfer processes. BibBuddy connects runners buying and selling entries safely — and finds accommodation near the start line too.
Join the BibBuddy WaitlistFrequently asked questions
No. London Marathon entries are strictly non-transferable. There are no peer-to-peer swaps, gifts, or sales permitted. The only official option is deferral to the following year, and only if you meet the eligibility criteria for your entry type.
Wait for the official email containing your Manage My Booking link. Submit your deferral request before 23:59 on 25 April 2026. Pay the required deferral fee. You'll receive confirmation of your guaranteed 2027 place by email.
23:59 BST on Saturday 25 April 2026 — the night before race day. There are no extensions or exceptions after this point.
Unfortunately not. Good For Age and Championship places can only defer under the pregnancy/postpartum provision. If you're injured and hold a GFA place, your options are limited to contacting the organisers directly and making a compassionate case, or forfeiting the entry and re-qualifying for a future year.
Yes. The pregnancy/postpartum deferral is specifically designed to preserve GFA and Championship status. You can defer to any of the next three years and your qualifying time carries forward — you don't need to re-qualify.
Your entry fee is lost and the place is wasted. There are no negative consequences for a DNS in terms of future ballot eligibility. But if you're eligible to defer, deferral is always better than a DNS — a guaranteed 2027 entry has real value given the ballot odds.
The 2027 ballot typically opens during the 2026 race weekend — often on race day itself or in the days immediately following. If you're not deferring and want to enter 2027, have your registration details ready for that weekend.