THOUSANDS of people run the London Marathon each year but just how difficult is it to get a place in the race?

Research conducted by Casino.org, an online casino and gambling guide, found that it is now more difficult than ever to get a spot with the odds worsening every year.

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This year, 13 per cent of applications were successful, equating to a one in eight chance of getting a place.

Ten years ago, 32 per cent of applications were successful.

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Generally around 17,500 runners are able to enter the race through the ballot, which opens for five days at the end of April into the beginning of May.

But Casino.org found that people have just a one in 21 chance of getting a place if they enter this way.

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This year, out of 414,168 entries, just 55,000 were successful whereas last year, there were 386,050 entries and 54,685 were successful.