FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FAQs for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 4 October
After months of intensive work and consultation with London's authorities,
organisers today confirmed the plans for The 40th Race on Sunday 4 October
2020.
Please read the below FAQs for more information on the 2020 Virgin Money
London Marathon and the options available to runners.
Runners Virtual Event Elite Race 2021 London Marathon
Why are you able to hold an elite race and not a mass-participation event?
The elite races for men, women and wheelchair athletes will take place on
an enclosed looped course in St James's Park in a secure biosphere (a
contained safe environment like that of Formula 1 and England cricket).
Please note: access to most of St James's Park will be maintained for local
residents and park users
We are able to guarantee a safe environment as all participants and their
support teams will go through multiple rounds of Covid-19 testing before
taking part and there will be no spectators.
For the mass participation event, we had been working for many months on a
number of different scenarios including a socially distanced mass
participation event – either a run or a walk – on Sunday 4 October. The
health and safety of our runners, our charities, our sponsors, our
volunteers, our medics, our communities and our city is always our
priority.
Some of the ground-breaking ideas included us looking to use a
revolutionary technology utilising Bluetooth and ultra wideband ranging,
which is about to be launched worldwide.
This would have enabled us to accurately monitor every participant's
distance from each other, work out if the participant spent more than 15
minutes within 1.5 metres (or any distance we set) of anyone else and then
contact them post-event if anyone had informed us that they had contracted
Covid-19 in the two weeks after the event.
The biggest challenges for us were not those involving participants, but
the multiple issues of managing spectators, ensuring the emergency services
had access across London with the recent changes to the roadscape, the
increased likelihood of a second spike that has led to the recent
cancellation of spectator trials at major events and the ongoing concern
about the pressure even a reduced-size mass participation marathon might
put on the NHS.
Despite all our efforts, the fantastic support from all of our partners and
the progress that has been made on planning for the return of smaller mass
participation events that are not on the roads, it has not been possible to
go ahead with a mass socially distanced walk or run.
Runners
What are my options for 4 October?
Everyone who had a place for 4 October 2020 or who had already deferred
their entry to 25 April 2021 will still have the chance to take part in The
40th Race by running the famous 26.2-mile marathon distance from home or
anywhere in the world on the course of their choice. All finishers will
receive the coveted finisher medal and exclusive New Balance finisher
T-shirt.
In addition, all runners and charities will also be able to defer their
place, without any additional payment, to a future London Marathon – in
2021, 2022 or 2023.
Please read more detail here
What do I do now?
You do not need to take any action now.
We will email you on 12 August to ask you to confirm if you would like to
take part in The 40th Race from home.
We will also email you on Tuesday 1 September with your options for
deferral to a future London Marathon.
Both emails will have all of the information you need about the virtual
race and deferral process and we ask that you do not contact us before you
receive the emails.
Can I defer my place to a future London Marathon?
All runners who had a place on 4 October or who had already deferred their
entry to 25 April 2021 will be able to defer their place to a future London
Marathon (on 3 October 2021, 24 April 2022 or 23 April 2023), without any
further payment.
Important: the deferral process will open on Tuesday 1 September and all
runners will be emailed with a link to the system. You do not need to do
anything now. Please read below for further details about the different
categories of entries.
Runners will be asked their first choice of year and, depending on demand,
we will hold ballots to allocate the years as required.
We plan to inform people who have requested a place in the 2021 event by 4
October 2020 and the 2022 or 2023 events by 31 January 2021.
If you do not wish to defer your place, you will be offered a full refund
of the entry fee you paid to London Marathon Events, which would be made by
the end of October 2020.
All runners who had a place in the 2020 event are also eligible to enter
the virtual 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon for a fee of £20.00. We will
email you on 12 August when the entry system opens.
I have a place through the UK Ballot or International Ballot
You will be able to opt to defer your place to 3 October 2021 or 24 April
2022 or be offered a refund when we email you on 1 September. You will find
out the year your place has been deferred to by 4 October 2020. You cannot
transfer your place to anyone else.
Should your guaranteed place be in 2022, you can still enter the 2021
ballot when it opens on 4 October.
I deferred my 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon place to April 2021 when
the event was moved to October
Since the date of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon has now moved from
April 2021 to October 2021, you need to go through the same process as all
2020 ballot runners and tell us your preference for a deferral to 3 October
2021 or 24 April 2022 or opt for a refund when we email you on 1 September.
I have a free Back of the Pack entry
You will be able to defer your place to 3 October 2021 when we email you on
1 September. Please note no further deferral is possible. You cannot
transfer your place to anyone else.
I have a place through an international tour operator
You will need to liaise with both London Marathon Events and your tour
operator.
First you need to let us know your preferred year (2021, 2022 or 2023) when
we email you on 1 September, as we will be allocating the places back to
the tour operators over a three-year period, based on the information
provided to us. You then need to tell your tour operator the same
information as they will be allocated the place. Please note that neither
you nor the tour operator can transfer your place to another runner.
Again, we will try to allocate everyone their preferred year but if this is
not possible we will hold a ballot.
We plan to inform people who have been allocated a place in the 2021 event
by 4 October 2020 and the 2022 or 2023 events by 31 January 2021.
If you do not want to defer and would like a refund, you need to contact
your tour operator who will process this for you.
I have a Good for Age or Championship place
If your time was run in a qualifying event after 1 January 2019, and you
want to run in 2021, you will be offered a place in the 2021 event taking
place on 3 October 2021 when we email you on 1 September.
If you ran the qualifying time before 1 January 2019, and you run the
qualifying time in the virtual 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon, you will
also be offered a guaranteed place in the 2021 event.
Runners who qualified for the 2020 event with a time achieved before 1
January 2019, but who do not achieve a qualifying time again in 2021 or
2022, will be offered a guaranteed place in the 2023 event. Please note
this guaranteed place will not be on a Good for Age start or the
Championship start.
If you do not wish to defer your entry, you will be offered a refund when
we email you on 1 September.
I have a place through my running club
You will be able to opt to defer your place to 3 October 2021 or 24 April
2022 or offered a refund when we email you on 1 September. You will find
out the year your place has been deferred to by 4 October 2020.
You cannot transfer your place to another member of your running club or
anyone else. Any deferral will not affect future Club allocations.
I have a place through a sponsor or stakeholder and I paid for it
You will be able to opt to defer your place to 3 October 2021 or offered a
refund when we email you on 1 September.
You cannot transfer your place to another member of the stakeholder or
sponsor team or anyone else.
I have a place through a sponsor or stakeholder but I did not pay for it
Your place belongs to the sponsor and it is the sponsor's decision how they
allocate their places for future years.
Please contact them to determine what they will allow for 2021.
I had a deferred place from 2019 in the 2020 event
You will be able to defer your place to 3 October 2021 only as you have
already deferred your place once. Please note that you will not be able to
defer your place again under any circumstances.
You will be able to defer your place to 3 October 2021 or offered a refund
when we email you on 1 September.
I am an Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships
entrant who qualified through the rankings and/or paid LME for my entry
You will be able to defer your entry to 3 October 2021, when the
Championships will take place, or offered a refund when we email you on 1
September.
I am an Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships
entrant who got my place through Wanda
Please contact Wanda for more details about your options.
I have a place from a charity
All charities will be able to defer their guaranteed places from 2020 to
either 2021, 2022 or 2023. Your place belongs to your charity and it is the
charity's decision how they allocate their places for future years. We will
be recommending that charities do allow you to defer your entry to your
chosen year if possible, but please be aware of the huge challenges that
many charities are going through at the moment, which means fundraising
both now and in the future is even more critical than ever.
Therefore, in addition to informing us of your preference when we email you
on 1 September (which will be passed to the charity you chose to run for),
you should contact your charity directly in early September to discuss your
options. Please remember that many charities have a large number of staff
on furlough at present so it may take some time for them to come back to
you.
Why is my place not automatically rolled over to 2021?
There are a number of reasons for this. Since more than 425,000 people who
applied for a place in 2020 were not successful, we believe it is important
that those who didn't get a place in 2020 are not denied the opportunity to
try for a place in 2021 as well. Furthermore, we have a goal of maximising
revenue for charities. Many of these charities are suffering massive
shortfalls in income. Allocating entries to charities over a longer time
period will encourage runners to fundraise in October in the virtual event
and not have the pressure of fundraising all over again in the following 12
months.
If I do not wish to defer my place, or I cannot defer, do I get a refund of
my entry fee?
Yes, if you paid your entry fee to London Marathon Events, we will offer
you a full refund, which would be made by the end of October 2020.
Virtual 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon
Please note full details of this event will be announced on 12 August when
the entry system opens
What is the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon?
The virtual Virgin Money London Marathon offers the opportunity to be part
of The 40th Race by completing the 26.2-mile marathon distance on Sunday 4
October from home or wherever you are on a course of your choice.
Is the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon The 40th Race?
Yes, it is – everyone who participates in the virtual Virgin Money London
Marathon will be taking part in The 40th Race.
Will I get a medal and finisher T-shirt?
Everyone who completes the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 4
October and uploads proof of completion will be sent The 40th Race finisher
medal and exclusive New Balance finisher T-shirt.
What is the entry fee?
Entry to the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon is £20 for a UK runner or
£20 plus £5 overseas postage and packaging charge for International
runners. Entrants must be 18 or over on Sunday 4 October 2020. The entry
system will open on Wednesday 12 August exclusively for runners who had a
place in The 40th Race or who had deferred their place to 25 April 2021.
What support will I receive?
A huge range of support materials and training guidance from Virgin Money
London Marathon experts will be available on our website, via newsletters
and on social media – including Facebook Live Q&A sessions.
Can I run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon on the official course
on Sunday 4 October?
No. The official marathon course will not exist on Sunday 4 October and
there will be traffic on all the roads. Participants are encouraged to
create their own course and run from home or wherever they are on 4
October.
All participants are asked to follow current Government guidelines on
exercise and only run where it is safe to do so.
If I run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon, can I still defer my
place?
Yes. We hope you will run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon and be
part of The 40th Race and you will still be offered a deferred place in the
2021, 2022 or 2023 events.
If I don't run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon, can I still defer
my place?
Yes. All runners who had an entry for the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon
on 4 October or had already deferred to the 2021 event will be able to
defer their place to a future London Marathon, whether or not they run the
virtual Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 4 October.
Can I run the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon if I don't have a place
in the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon?
There are a limited number of places available in the virtual Virgin Money
London Marathon. Places will be offered first to participants and charities
who had a place in the 2020 event. We will then open entries to all on a
first-come, first-served basis on Wednesday 26 August.
Will there be official results from the virtual Virgin Money London
Marathon?
Yes. All participants will be asked to upload proof of their time and
official results will be published.
Will my time be eligible to apply for a Good for Age or Championship entry
in 2021?
Yes, results from the virtual Virgin Money London Marathon will be eligible
for you to apply for a Good for Age or Championships entry in 2021.
Runners will also be asked to provide supplementary evidence.
Full details of the application process and qualification period for Good
for Age places in 2021 will be published on the website by 31 August 2020.
Will my run be eligible for the London Classics?
Yes. But please note you must run the 26.2 miles outside, not on a
treadmill.
Will my run be eligible for a star in the Abbott World Marathon Majors Six
Star series?
No, it is not eligible. Nor are the Boston Marathon Virtual Experience and
the Virtual TCS New York City Marathon.
Will the Virgin Money Giving Mini London Marathon take place in 2020?
We are looking into different formats for the Virgin Money Giving Mini
London Marathon and will announce further details by the end of the month.
Elite-only 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon
Will the elite race be held on the usual route from Greenwich to The Mall?
No. The elite races will be held in a biosphere environment (a contained
safe environment like that of Formula 1 and England cricket) on a loop
course in an enclosed area of St James's Park in London.
When will the elite fields be announced?
Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Brigid Koskei, Manuela Schär and David
Weir are already confirmed, and the full fields will be announced later in
August.
This is the only Abbott World Marathon Major taking place in the autumn of
2020 and World Athletics have now designated it an Olympic qualifying
event.
Can I go to St James's Park to watch the elite races?
No, there is no spectator access to watch the elite races in order to
maintain the biosphere environment.
However, BBC Sport plans to broadcast eight hours of network coverage
during the day.
Will St James's Park be open on Sunday 4 October?
Yes, the majority of St James's Park will be open to the public on Sunday 4
October but visitors will only be able to enter and exit the park via Queen
Anne's Gate.
The course for the elite races will be enclosed within fencing with no
access or viewing points for the public.
The Green Park nearby will be open.
What time are the elite races?
The times for the races will be announced later in August.
Will the races be televised?
Yes, BBC TV plans to broadcast eight hours of coverage on Sunday 4 October
with coverage of the elite races and the virtual Virgin Money London
Marathon.
2021 London Marathon
What is the date of the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon?
The 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon is scheduled to take place on Sunday
3 October 2021.
It has moved from its usual April date to October to maximise the chances
of the mass participation event being able to take place.
When will the ballot open for the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon?
The ballot for the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon will open on Sunday 4
October and close at 17:00 on Friday 9 October 2020.
When will I find out if I have been successful in the 2021 ballot?
The 2021 ballot results will be announced in early January 2021.
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