It has been estimated that less than 1% of the global population will run in a marathon race in their lifetime, and there are around 1.1 to 1.3 million finishers in marathon races every year. However, because many runners complete more than one marathon annually, the number of unique marathon runners is less.

According to global stats, between 10 and 13 million people ran a marathon between 2000 and 2022. This means only about 0.13% to 0.16% of the world’s population will complete a marathon race in any given year.

Are you in the 1% club? Despite the explosion in these mass participation events, completing a marathon is still a remarkably exclusive achievement. Yet, everyone seems to know someone who has run a marathon. Could it be that we runners can't stop talking about our marathon performances to all our friends, family members, and anyone who will listen?

There is no diminution in the desire to run a marathon. A record-breaking 1,133,813 people applied through the ballot to run the 2026 TCS London Marathon. This is the most ever and makes London the most sought-after marathon in the world. The applications were from the UK: 869,803, and international entrants: 264,010. This total of 1.1 million applicants was a huge increase over the previous world best of 840,318 for the 2025 race and remarkably equals the typical worldwide annual number of marathon finishers!

A few more mind-boggling marathon stats for you:

• Worldwide, the average marathon finishing time is about 4:22:00, so any pace faster than 10 minutes per mile is above average. The men's average is around 4:15:00, and the women's is around 4:45:00.
• About 30% of global marathon participants are women; in the TCS London Marathon, the percentage is about 44.5%, and the gap is closing each year. 
• The average age of a marathon runner is around 40 years old. The oldest person to complete a marathon is the late Fauja Singh, founder member of the East London running club Sikhs in the City, who is believed to have been 100 years old when he ran the Toronto Waterfront Marathon on 16 October 2011 in 8 hours, 25 minutes!

Good luck to all of our runABC marathon runners.

Photo: Marathon medals 2025 courtesy of TCS London Marathon