If you're not a member of the running community, you may be unaware of the intense competition for London Marathon places. Each year, over 36,000 people line up at the start and begin the 26.2 mile journey to the Mall. Most would consider completing the distance as a major achievement, but for runners wanting to take part, this time of year means doing whatever they can just to get a place.

There are three main ways into this iconic race:
1: Get a place in the public ballot
2: Pledge to raise £1500 - £2,000 to get a charity place
3: Run another marathon in a time considered 'good for age' (GFA). For me that would mean 3:15-3:50.

There are also 'championship entries', club places and overseas ballots.

Public ballot applications for 2012 opened on 26th April and closed the next day after 125,000 people applied. I got my application in almost as soon as the ballot opened, then sat back and twiddled my thumbs for a few months. It's difficult to find statistics on how many ballot places there actually are, but popular wisdom suggests that you have a 1-in-6 chance of obtaining a ballot place.

Prior to Virgin taking over sponsorship of the London Marathon, there was a rule which meant that if you had been rejected from the ballot five times in a row you would get guaranteed entry on the sixth year. Sadly, Virgin stopped this, so unless you had been rejected twice when they took over this option isn't open to you.

I've applied three years on the trot, but this one was a bit different. I've always said that if I was going to do one marathon it would have to be London. I know there are other marathons. They're all the same distance and the rest aren't so crowded, but I remember watching the London Marathon as a child, my step-grandmother's done it twice, so it's the one I want to do first.

And what better year to do it than 2012, Olympic year? Who wouldn't want to be a part of that? In fact the week before the ballot results came out, I booked a place in the Bupa London 10,000 so I knew I had at least one chance to win a medal at London 2012 (!)

I knew the results were due out in early October but a friend mentioned that her friends had got their rejection letters through, so when I got home I though it was time to look for mine. And this is what I found.


And so begins months of planning, training, long runs in freezing weather. I'm really happy to have a ballot place, but mildly petrified at the thought of what's to come.