A record 105,000 runners applied for a lottery place hoping to make the start line for the 2018 edition of New York City Marathon in November.

The figure is up by 7% from last year and a huge 36% since 2014. Of those that applied for the big apple marathon that takes place on Sunday, November 4, approximately 15,500 have been accepted from the draw that took place on Wednesday (February 28).

Last year’s elite races were memorably won by USA’s Shalane Flanagan and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworor.

The event, which is organised by New York Road Runners is the largest marathon in the world, with 50,773 runners crossing the finish line in 2017.

“Today marks the first step of an inspiring journey to the 2018 TCS New York City Marathon finish line for tens of thousands of runners from throughout New York City’s five boroughs, across the country, and around the world,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO of New York Road Runners. “The continued rise in interest in the TCS New York City Marathon is a testament to the popularity of running and the draw of experiencing the race of a lifetime in New York City.”

Runners who made the cut will join those who with guaranteed entry as part of a field of more than 50,000 runners from over 125 countries.