Racing
A Good for Age place at the London Marathon is one of the most coveted entries in British running. Here is exactly what the times are, how the application process works, and what training a realistic GFA campaign actually requires.
The Overview
The London Marathon Good for Age entry is a guaranteed place in the race for runners who have completed a marathon within a specified time standard, matched to their gender and age group. Unlike the ballot, a GFA place is not subject to luck: if you run the time, you earn the place.
GFA places are among the most prestigious entries in the London Marathon field. They sit alongside championship entries and elite places as the categories that reward genuine performance. Crossing the line with a GFA-qualifying time at a cold, wet October race in Manchester, knowing you have earned your London entry on merit, is a particular kind of satisfaction that ballot runners do not experience.
The entry window typically opens in late summer each year for the following April's race. Your qualifying time must have been achieved within the window specified by London Marathon for that cycle, typically the previous 18 months. Always check the official London Marathon website for exact dates and standards for the current year, as these are reviewed and updated annually.
"Only around 3 to 5 percent of marathon finishers in the UK run fast enough to qualify for Good for Age. It is a genuinely difficult standard, and reaching it is a meaningful achievement at any age."
The Standards
The times below reflect the recent Good for Age standards. These are reviewed by London Marathon annually and may change. Always verify against the official application page before planning your campaign around a specific target.
| Age Group | GFA Standard |
|---|---|
| 18-39 | 2:45:00 |
| 40-44 | 2:50:00 |
| 45-49 | 2:55:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:05:00 |
| 55-59 | 3:15:00 |
| 60-64 | 3:30:00 |
| 65-69 | 3:45:00 |
| 70-74 | 4:00:00 |
| 75+ | 4:30:00 |
| Age Group | GFA Standard |
|---|---|
| 18-39 | 3:15:00 |
| 40-44 | 3:25:00 |
| 45-49 | 3:35:00 |
| 50-54 | 3:45:00 |
| 55-59 | 4:00:00 |
| 60-64 | 4:20:00 |
| 65-69 | 4:40:00 |
| 70-74 | 5:00:00 |
| 75+ | 5:30:00 |
Standards are correct as of the most recent published London Marathon GFA criteria. Verify at londonmarathon.com before planning your campaign.
Where to Run It
Any official marathon with a certified course and chip timing is accepted for London GFA qualification. The choice of qualifying race matters: fast, flat courses in favourable conditions give you the best chance of running a time that would be significantly harder to achieve on a hilly or weather-affected course.
The most popular UK qualifying races include Manchester Marathon (consistently one of the fastest UK courses), Brighton Marathon (flat and well-organised), Chester Marathon (autumnal timing suits those building through the summer), Edinburgh Marathon (June timing, though hillier than others), and Yorkshire Marathon (October race with good organisation). Internationally, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Chicago are widely used by UK runners chasing GFA standards, particularly for the men's and women's open standards where every second matters.
Autumn races in October and November suit runners who build through the summer and peak in the cooler months. Spring races in April and May suit runners who build through winter. Your coach will help you identify the race that best fits your training cycle and the conditions most likely to suit your running style.
The Training Reality
GFA standards are not achievable through motivation alone. They require a sustained period of well-structured, progressive training, typically over 12 to 24 months for runners who are already competitive club runners, and potentially longer for those working from a more modest base.
The key physiological requirements for a GFA-standard marathon are a high lactate threshold relative to race pace, excellent running economy, well-developed aerobic capacity, and the ability to sustain race pace for the full distance without significant deterioration. All of these are trainable, and all of them take time.
Most runners who achieve the open GFA standards (2:45 men, 3:15 women) are running 60 to 80 miles per week during their peak training weeks. Runners targeting age-group standards may achieve them on lower volume if their training quality is high, but 40 to 60 miles per week is a common range for runners chasing masters GFA times.
A GFA campaign typically requires 16 to 20 weeks of marathon-specific preparation, preceded by a longer base-building phase. The marathon-specific block includes regular long runs with sections at marathon pace, weekly tempo work at or near lactate threshold, and periodic interval sessions to develop top-end speed. A well-managed taper in the final two to three weeks is critical: many runners who are capable of the time underperform because they taper incorrectly or not at all.
Coaching makes a particular difference for GFA campaigns because the margins are small. Arriving at the start line with exactly the right fitness, in the right condition, having run the right final long run at the right time, is not something that happens reliably without expert oversight. Most runners who successfully chase a GFA standard do it with a coach.
If a GFA qualification is your goal, get in touch and we will assess your current fitness, identify a realistic race target, and build a programme designed to get you there.
Common Questions
The GFA entry window typically opens in late summer each year, usually around August or September, for the following spring's race. The qualifying time must have been run within a specific period prior to application, typically the previous 18 months. Always check the official London Marathon website for current dates.
Any official marathon with a certified course and chip timing is accepted. This includes all major UK marathons and international events such as Berlin, Chicago, and Amsterdam. The race must have taken place within the qualifying window specified for that year's application.
GFA standards are challenging but achievable for dedicated club runners who train consistently. The men's open standard of 2:45 places you in roughly the top 5 to 10 percent of male marathon finishers. Age group standards are more accessible for well-trained masters runners with the right coaching.
Yes. Times run at international marathons with certified courses and chip timing are accepted. Popular qualifying races for UK runners include Berlin, Chicago, Amsterdam, and Paris. The official result must be verifiable and the course certified by the relevant athletics federation.
This depends entirely on current fitness and training history. Most runners should treat a GFA campaign as a multi-year goal built through progressive development. A runner currently at 3:00 chasing a men's 2:45 might achieve it in 12 to 24 months of well-structured coached training. There are no reliable shortcuts.
Summary
A Good for Age place at the London Marathon is earned, not won. The standards are demanding, the training required is substantial, and the margin for error on race day is small. That is precisely what makes it worth pursuing. Runners who achieve a GFA standard have demonstrated a level of commitment and performance that very few recreational athletes reach.
If you are thinking seriously about a GFA campaign, the first step is an honest assessment of where your fitness currently sits and what it realistically takes to get to the standard you need. Contact us to discuss your goal and find out what a coached GFA programme would look like for you.
Founder of JM Coaching, 2:08:45 marathon runner and Great Britain international. Coaching runners of all abilities since 2013. Read his full profile.
A JM coach builds your campaign from your current fitness to your qualifying time, one week at a time.
Tell Us Your Goal