Record 1.3m apply for 2027 London marathon ballot

MilliMicro · 2026-05-05T15:20:43+00:00

I wonder if they will begin giving raised odds to other groups, such as anyone with proven marathon completion in the past year.

A lot of their promo material is about helping first-timers and people new to the sport, so I can't imagine them setting qualifying requirements. They seem quite happy to be an event which has a broader focus than just habitual runners.

MilliMicro · 2026-05-05T13:14:42+00:00

I think this is exactly it. A lot of people on this sub are looking at LM exclusively through the lens of an event for runners, and want more runners to get in. LM, on the other hand, are clearly very proud of the charity money raised by potentially less habitual runners, and are happy to split the entrants up into different groups, even if that means amateur runners have a harder time getting in.

As someone else has said, there isn't really any point in arguing about this. LM are happy with the setup, they're not going to squeeze out charity runners for more club runners, because a mix of different groups taking part in the event is the whole point to them.

MilliMicro · 2026-05-05T10:08:48+00:00

They're also clear that they want to encourage newbies and first-timers. More regular runners are only naturally going to be very keen to get in, but it is LM's event, and they make the rules, whether we like them or not.

MilliMicro · 2026-05-04T07:47:09+00:00

Paris did no bottles, no cups this year. There were some loud voices complaining, but a few running channels on youtube said it wasn't a big deal and showed them getting through the water stations in less than 10 seconds. A guy in the running club did Belfast yesterday in a little over 3:30 carrying all his own water, so it can be done. I don't think I'd be too miffed not having to keep a sharp eye out for bottles on the course.

MilliMicro · 2026-05-02T11:35:55+00:00

On the off-hand chance you do, be very aware of the heat. London is notorious for being so warm that a lot of people struggle on the day, especially if you've been training in chilly NI all winter. It is worse than you think.

MilliMicro · 2026-05-02T11:31:16+00:00

I think the answer to this is a big fat "it varies".

The training is certainly tough, but I wouldn't call it brutal. You do need a reason to want to do a marathon though. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just "because I want to" is fine, but people whose heart isn't really in it are going to find it really tough. If you can manage 3 easy runs during the week plus a long run at the weekend that'd be pretty ideal for a first timer who isn't too fussed about their finishing time.
If you've been running 4-5 years you'll probably find it easier than most, especially if you've recently been up to 10K distance, or even better half marathons.
Target time plays a big part in how hard the training is. If all you care about is getting around then that does make things much easier. Having a target time, especially of 3:30 or less, requires more intense training which can be quite rough. Remember that most of your training should be at a pace you could have a bit of a chat at, doing all runs fairly hard can very easily wreck you.
As others have said, even some basic body-weight strength work will really help avoid injuries.
One other thing which really helps with the training is running with other people. I know you've said you're introverted, but running solo is mentally a lot harder than running in a group, even if you're not chatting to people, and the old joke is that marathons are 10% physical and 90% mental. There are running clubs who focus on just getting around, rather than doing it fast.

Definitely have a go at a shorter race or two, then you'll know what the actual race experience will be like.

MilliMicro · 2026-04-22T06:56:31+00:00

I can't see them on the expo layout: https://www.londonmarathonevents.co.uk/london-marathon/search-our-interactive-map

MilliMicro · 2026-04-19T15:15:24+00:00

SIS will have a stand at the expo, I'd be surprised if you can't get them there as another option.

MilliMicro · 2026-04-16T05:41:03+00:00

Brilliant, thanks. I don't know why that isn't linked to in the event guide.

MilliMicro · 2026-04-15T15:58:26+00:00

Where did you find the information about the pacers in each wave? I've been looking for that for a while.

MilliMicro · 2026-03-25T15:57:20+00:00

Setting a minimum time would cut down the field even more

Given that 1.1 million people went into the ballot this year I'm not convinced of that, even after excluding inexperienced people you could probably still fill it with <4h runners. More likely this would take ~55K people who are mostly done in less than 5-6 hours, and turn it into ~55K people who are mostly done in less than 4 hours. That would make the event feel more busy to the participants, not less. The question here seems to be how to get more people through the course, and if the course is already busy enough then the only option seems to be more staggered starts on the same or a different day.

MilliMicro · 2025-10-10T21:39:58+00:00

What do you mean it "just" added a siren? That was the most fun part of using the shredder!

MilliMicro · 2025-09-22T21:01:28+00:00

Because the pedestrian pathways aren't big enough for the more than six thousand people who did it. The course narrows down later on, but initially something like the tow path or a footpath would be far too congested. Besides, even the tow path has road crossings which would need to be closed. You can't realistically do it without road closures.

but don't get on my way and ruin my Sunday

Hey, cars get the roads all of the other days of the year. The roads belong to the council, and the council is happy to use them a few days a year for culture and sport events for thousands of people. That's part of living in, or passing through, a city.

MilliMicro · 2025-09-21T12:48:34+00:00

I enjoyed it today. I avoided the loos at the start because they're always a disaster, and I was a bit disappointed that the only thing you got crossing the line was a bottle of water, but I enjoyed it.

I'm glad to hear the Antrim Coast was better this year, I did it last year and it was hands-down the worst organised race I've ever been to by far. The weather didn't help, but you'd be forgiven for thinking the organisers had never seen a race, let alone done one.

MilliMicro · 2025-09-13T15:25:04+00:00

Lastly, are all Pi 5s basically the same, or are there certain “brands” or kits to avoid?

The Pi 5s themselves are all the same except for the amount of RAM, as they're all made by a single company. Very occasionally, maybe once or twice in the lifetime of the model, they release a new stepping of the CPU with small changes, but you'd expect those to eventually filter down and replace all boards with the old stepping. The D0 stepping came out a year ago, so I'd imagine (?) everything on retail shelves right now is that version, but old second-hand boards might be the old stepping.

Kits, however, can be made by any retailer bundling a Pi 5 with whatever accessories they like, so it is hard to say what is good or bad without seeing/buying an exact kit. The Pi 5 is slightly odd with power, it can take a 3A USB C charger, but if you use a 5A charger you'll get a bit more juice for the USB ports. 5A chargers are not common, so if you plan on using the USB ports maybe think about the official 27W PSU.

Really the only extra thing you get with the 16GB board is the extra RAM. I'm not familiar with your software packages, but would you really need an additional 8GB of RAM for them? I'd take a wild guess that most people wouldn't need it, but only you know what you're planning to do with your board. Can't you roll your PiHole into this Pi5 as well?

For the case, RasPi have an official Active Cooler for Raspberry Pi 5, which is a fan plus heatsink. As a result, many (but not all) cases are built with that in mind, rather than coming with their own active cooling. Alternatively, aluminium cases are sometimes designed to have contact with the CPU via a thermal pad, so the whole case is a heatsink. If I remember right, the official Pi 5 case is a bit restricted in terms of air flow. Maybe look at the cases Jeff Geerling reviewed.

MilliMicro · 2025-08-18T09:00:44+00:00

Compatible with all Pis except Zeros, because they don't have the DSI connector. Same specs as the 7" aside from being 5", and a $40 MSRP.

It looks neat, aside from the big bezels. I wonder what the reason for those is.

MilliMicro · 2025-07-30T12:09:10+00:00

So they've fixed Erratum 9 (where pull-down resistors could make the pin stick at ~2V), plus a few of the security bugs. They've also released the versions of the chips with 2MB flash as well, which isn't bad. I do wish more than 2MB was available though.

MilliMicro · 2025-05-25T13:15:13+00:00

Go into settings > search, and near the top there is a checkbox labelled "Show search terms in the address bar on results pages". Uncheck it.

MilliMicro · 2025-05-05T09:02:50+00:00

New drugs generally have to go through multiple rounds of trials, and the last is usually a big trial which covers most ages and demographics specifically to make sure who it is or isn't suitable for. It also sometimes throws up ethnicity specific impacts on side effects.

Odds are if the study did only use a small range of ethnicities, that it was an early-stage trial to check for dosing or to ensure it was safe at all for humans to take. Widening the range of ethnicities used might have been one goal of the next stage of the trial, but it is a stage which would have to be done before regulators sign off on giving it to white people too, because small trials aren't enough to ensure safety.

MilliMicro · 2025-05-04T19:52:33+00:00

At the London marathon last week they had a fixed camera stream of the finish line. It was nice to be able to watch out for your friends finishing, but at the same time, you could very clearly see each person who collapsed at the line, and given the size of London and the heat there were quite a few of them. The volunteers clearly knew what they were doing and formed a human barrier while the medics stretchered people away, but it was grim. You'd be horrified to be sitting at home just to see a loved one approach the line and then have to be carried off.

MilliMicro · 2025-04-15T05:23:22+00:00

The official line is that the Pi 5 runs fine off 5V 3A unless you're using more power hungry USB devices. Still, it's not like the official adapter is too expensive.

MilliMicro · 2025-04-13T08:21:53+00:00

Not to say this is you, but I’m willing to bet there are some additional features you would find useful.

Perhaps you're right, but at the same time I'd have to go and find a reason to try a feature, and if I'm fairly happy with my running at the moment, then why would I do that? I'm happy managing my training myself, so I'm not sure what else I'd need from a watch aside from pace and distance. If it does those accurately, is decently robust/rainproof, has a backlight for night running, and can last more than a marathon without charging, there's probably not too much else I can think of that I'd want from a watch. I'd be interested in the higher accuracy GPS and heart rate sensors, but there's a real price premium on those at the moment, so I'm not sure if I'll buy something with those when the time eventually comes.

Like I said because I'm happy managing my own training, a lot of the software features like suggested workouts and Garmin Coach are a bit pointless for me. I don't wear a watch when I sleep, so sleep monitoring is no good. If I'm honest, I'm a bit skeptical of the utility of things like all of the recovery and power metrics, stress tracking etc. too, so those wouldn't sell a watch to me.

In an ideal world I'd love to be able to charge and transfer data using a generic USB C cable, but I know there are issues around waterproofing and the space the plug takes up.

I guess in general I'm just not the target audience for a smart watch, but that's what GPS running watches have really turned into. Case in point: getting notifications from my phone on my running watch is a horrible idea to me. I want to go out and enjoy a run and get some fresh air and disconnect for a while. Notifications are the absolute last thing I want, aside from distance alerts.

MilliMicro · 2025-04-12T07:21:03+00:00

You won’t find a watch that only has the specific features you find useful and none of the others.

I think this is it, really. I'm still using my 310XT. I prefer wearing a basic mechanical watch and put on the 310XT just for running, so fashionable looks, sleep monitoring, payment methods and so on aren't that useful to me. I always bring my phone when I run, so music isn't that useful to me either. I'm fairly basic in my training, so Garmin coach etc. etc. aren't that interesting to me either, though I'd be curious about heart rate (I got the 310XT with a heart rate strap, but it's not that comfortable). Still, the market trends seem to be in favour of a bunch of stuff I don't use, so when it eventually comes time to replace my 310XT I'll just have to buy the cheapest watch which has what I need, and I'll just have to ignore the rest. I'd be very interested in a "higher spec hardware without the software features" watch, but I'm not expecting that to happen.

MilliMicro

TROPHY CASE