Can't Run? Withdrawing From A Running Event

What to do when you decide to pull out of a running event

When you train for a distance event things don't always go to plan. Your training might not progress as you hoped, or you might get injured. Whatever the reason there could come a point where you have to withdraw. If you have injury concerns you should consult with a medical practitioner before making the decision to withdraw, or to carry on training. Here we look at the process if you're training for a major event, like the London Marathon, and need to pull out.

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The majority of events don't do refunds, or deferrals until the following year. The pandemic had a major impact on the event sector and rules have tightened significantly as a result. Always check the small print when you enter your next event and if you think it is worth it have a look at the optional insurance that many events offer. For overseas events that can be well over £100 to enter this could be worth it.

Although the vast majority of runners will run their next event with their own entry that they have secured through the event's entry system, this won't be the case with the really big events like the London Marathon, where a large percentage of the field run using an entry owned by a charity or a tour operator. This post covers both types of entry.

Runners with their own entry

Generally it's the case that if you bought your own entry in an event you will not be able to defer it to the following year. There are exceptions and if you took out insurance and can prove you were injured, or unable to attend for legitimate reasons, you may well be able to get a refund, but things are very different now and event finances are very tight, so assume you will have to re-enter the following year and pay again.

What about the big two - the London Marathon and the Great North Run?

If you have an entry through the London Marathon ballot you can defer your entry to the following year, but you will have to pay the entry fee again. This applies to both domestic and oversea ballot runners. The same applies if you got your entry via your running club. This also applies if you have a good for age entry if you're pregnant or postpartum (in this case you can defer up to three years). Other good for age entries can't be deferred.

If this is you then you'll need to check the marathon website as the process for claiming your deferral may change year on year.

Runners who have secured their spot from a tour company will need to contact their operator direct and discuss their options.

The same rules apply to the Great North Run. You can withdraw but you'll have to pay the entry fee again. Find out more here . You might not think this is especially generous but you need to remember how difficult it is to get into events like this in the first instance, so at least you don't have to jump that hurdle again.

Injuries are very common. Always ask your medical practitioner if you should keep running.

Runners who have a charity entry

This process is very different.

These entries are owned by the charity so ultimately your charity will decide on next steps. Many will be happy to defer your entry to the following year, dependant on the number of entries they have available and how many have already been allocated, but the key here is 'the earlier the better'.

Charity entries in certain events cannot be deferred until the following year, so if you don't run, the charity loses their entry and all the fundraising associated with it, which can be devastating for them. However with some of the bigger ones like the London Marathon they can defer. Before agreeing to run on an entry owned by a charity make sure you understand the deferral situation. The New York Marathon is very different again, but that's another story...

Charities have to confirm their final London Marathon runners during March, (the exact date varies slightly each year) a few weeks before the race. This is much later than it used to be, but this date is crucial. Replacement runners cannot be entered after this cut off date, so if you pull out after this the charity will be a runner down and that entry will roll over to the following year. This will obviously have an impact on their fundraising revenues for the year in question and for a smaller charity this could be very significant. If you withdraw early (in December or January) the charity will have time to replace you, but it could still be challenging. Any replacement runner will need to have begun their training and be able to raise the required fundraising pledge fairly quickly. It's all achievable, but obviously timeframes are tighter than they are for the bulk of charity runners, who are generally confirmed from July though to September.

It's important to note that if you do withdraw from running on a charity entry any fundraising you've already completed will roll across to the following year. If your target was £2000 and you've already managed to raise £1000 then you'll only have to raise another £1000, unless the charity increases its pledge figure for the following year. If they do then it's unlikely to be no more than another 10-15% so the target will still be very manageable. The more you have raised by the time you seek a deferral the better. If you have only raised a few pounds in say January when you speak with your charity the tougher it will be to convince them that you should have the entry again the following year. This is another reason why it's important to start your fundraising early.

Charity entries in the London Marathon are really important to the charities that own them. These runners for the Backcare charity raised thousands of pounds.

If the charity does agree to defer your entry to the following year then you should use this extra time wisely. If you're injured then don't train again until the time is right, but that doesn't stop you fundraising. Use the time and get as close to the target as you can before the next year's cycle begins.

Occasionally a runner will decide they want to withdraw but they don't want to run the following year. If that's the case then tell the charity as soon as possible. If you have raised any monies at that point they are likely to be offset against another event you will hopefully do for them in the future.

If you have any doubts at any time just keep your charity in the loop. We all have challenges in our training from time to time, but just keep talking and let them know quickly if you have a problem.

Plan ahead if you are thinking of withdrawing from a running event

Pulling out of an event is never easy, but with some planning it can be a lot less strenuous than it might be.

If you have your own entry then know the timeframes for withdrawal if these exist and if you have any doubts up front then take out the insurance, especially if it's your first event. Assume you'll lose your entry fee otherwise and understand the event organiser's situation.

If you're running on a charity entry start fundraising early and talk to your charity regularly. The more they know you and the better your fundraising commitment the more likely they are to defer your entry than if you've never been in contact and if you've raised very little.

If you have an injury concerns then you must go and see a sports physio as soon as you can. They will give you an honest appraisal of the situation. Listen to them and if they tell you not to run, then don't. There is always next time.

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