Monday marks the start of the five-day window to apply for a place in the 2019 race.

Runners hoping for a lottery place in the 2019 edition of the Virgin Money London Marathon can enter the public ballot from Monday (April 30).

The window to apply for an entry into next year’s race – that takes place on Sunday, April 28 – will stay open for five days, closing on Friday (May 4) at 5:00pm.

The ballot system is open to runners based in the UK and overseas and once again hundreds of thousands are expected to apply after 386,050 registered in 2017.

This year a record 40,000 runners completed the London Marathon, with Kenyan duo Eliud Kipchoge and Vivian Cheruiyot taking the elite races.

Everyone who enters will find out whether or not they have been successful in early October.

The standard entry in 2018 cost £39, or £35 for members of UK running clubs. Overseas entry costs £80.

Further information about entering the ballot on Monday can be found on the London Marathon website.

Last week, organisers also announced changes to the Good for Age qualification process to ensure a closer ratio of applications from men and women.

This included the qualifying time for male runners aged between 18 and 39 reduced by five minutes to 3 hours marathon, with all Good for Age entries capped at 6,000, split evenly between male and female runners.

The application window for Good for Age places opens on Wednesday, August 1 and closes on Friday, August 10 (4:00pm).

Details on the British Athletics Club Entry and Championship entry for the 2019 race can be found here.