New record as more than half a million apply for London Marathon ballot place

There were 578,374 applications for the 2024 TCS London Marathon, compared with the previous record of 457,861 for the 2020 event

Participants run past the Cutty Sark in Greenwich during the TCS London Marathon (Zac Goodwin/PA) (PA Wire)

More than half a million hopefuls have applied for a ballot place to take part in the 2024 TCS London Marathon, setting a new world record for entries for the distance.

A total of 578,374 applications were received before the deadline on Friday April 28, the first time any marathon ballot has received more than half a million entries.

The figure smashed the previous world record of 457,861 which was set in 2019 by the ballot for places for the 2020 London Marathon.