Windle Valley Runners receives a number of places in the London Marathon each year that we distribute to our members via a ballot, held during December.

First of all, the club receives a couple of places because we help with the timing mats at each year's race. We also receive places as an England Athletics-affiliated club, based on the number of members that we have.

Typically, we receive about four places each year.
​The way we organise the ballot is as follows:
  • Eligibility: To be eligible for the draw, members must have applied for a place through the main race ballot, and have been rejected. They must provide their rejection letter to claim their place in the draw. "Second Claim" members are not eligible for the draw, and should enter their first claim club's own draw.
  • Step 1: Members who were part of the volunteer team in this year's race go in a draw for the helpers' places. If the helpers'places is not claimed in this way, they go forward to Step 2.
  • Step 2: Members who have been with the club since the start of the year go in a draw for the club places plus any left over from Step 1. If any places remain after this step, they go forward to Step 3
  • Step 3: Members who have joined the club since the start of the year go into a draw for any remaining places. (Reality check - in recent years, all places have been assigned by step 2)
A member receiving a place through either the club or mat-layers ballot will not be eligible for either ballot for the following four years, unless there are surplus places after all categories have been drawn.
A club place has the same race entry fee and is just the same as a public ballot place. This is why we have the rule that you must first try to get in the race through the public ballot.
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