[star_girl77]

i got a place strait through the ballot. i applied with my boyfriend and my dad but only i got in, so it really is down to luck. i did run for a charity, the UHB hospital. so you should apply directly first, you will know by about november if your cheque has been cashed, and they dont usually send you your 'congratulations' letter until around christmas. if you dont get a place that way, then apply for the charity places. finding sponsor money will be easier than you think, loads of people are interested when its the marathon. i raised over £1000 without trying to hard really!
i wrote about it in my personal statement before i had my place, i just stated that i had applied and was waiting to hear about my place in the london marathon.
i would strongly suggest you train before january. perhaps you have a good level of fitness already, i dont know. mine wasnt that good but i started doing little races about a year before the date of the marathon. when i say little races, i mean about 5 miles. by january, i was up to about 20 miles, but i really started trying to up my milage from 6 miles in september. you have to start training before you know you have a place. i did a fair bit of training, but still found the marathon difficult. bare in mind you need rest days in between your runs (because believe me, you will have some days when you wont be able to move your legs!) so january is leaving it a bit late to cram all that milage in! i promise you you'll have loads of aches and pains, and may have to have a week or two's rest which can really set your training back. so leave plenty of time for training, you'l find it a lot easier that way. iv got my application form through the post last week, and im thinking of doing it again, although il be at uni. i cant actually believe how quickly iv lost my fitness though. its been about 3 months since the big day and now i struggle to run 5 miles! oh well! hope that helps. any more q's and id be happy to help!
xxx