The TCS London Marathon is one of the world's greatest marathons, televised live on the BBC and attracting plenty of famous faces alongside over 40,000 runners. Its route tours the capital's most famous landmarks and enjoys incredible crowd support!
One of the world's largest and most prestigious running events with an unrivaled atmosphere of 40,000 runners.
Classic route on closed roads featuring the Cutty Sark, The Shard and Tower Bridge.
One of six of the largest and most-renowned marathons in the world.
The only UK marathon to be recognised as a World Athletics Elite Road Race.
£1 billion raised since it began!
Event details are on the TCS London Marathon listing.
Charity entries are now closed. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear when charity places are available for next year.
The TCS London Marathon is the largest annual fundraising event in the world! Since 1981 when it began, participants have raised more than £1 billion for good causes.
Every year thousands of runners take part in this event and fundraise for charity. While this is hugely beneficial to the charities it gives the runner advantages too, from supporting a cause that is close to your heart to securing a place in this highly sought-after event.
Committing to raising money for charity gives you motivation to get outside and run, plus all of these extras which will elevate your event experience:
Charities know that raising money is all part of the challenge, which is why they provide advice, branded materials and a personalised online fundraising page to help the donations roll in, particularly when the minimum requirement is high. Think videos for social media, branded imagery and testimonials from previous runners.
Whether this is your first run or your fifth, you'll need to train for it! You'll receive an in-depth training plan with guidance, plus many charities have access to expert coaches and elite runners too, who can provide exclusive tips for your race preparation. Experts include Runningwithus, Full Potential and five-time Olympian Jo Pavey!
When you show up on the day, people need to be able to see clearly that you're supporting a charity. Most charities will give you a branded and personalised t-shirt or vest to run in on the big day, and often a training top too.
When you're partway through your run and your energy is flagging, what you need is a boost from cheering spectators to keep you moving. Many charities set up a cheer station along the route, keeping an eye out for you to send up a huge cheer as you run past!
Many charities will provide refreshments and a post-race sports massage for their runners, particularly at larger events. This is the perfect way to recover alongside other people who have run for that cause.
You won't be the only person running for that charity, so it's well worth meeting other runners through the charity's invite-only social media pages! You can organise to meet up for training runs, chat with the charity's expert coaches and share tips and stories with each other to keep the motivation levels running high.
Securing a charity place involves applying to one of the charities which have purchased places in the event. Your application may be accepted straight away or the charity may select runners with the highest fundraising potential based on your connection with the cause. If your application is accepted, you will pay a registration fee (usually in the region of £50-£150). You will be required to fundraise for that charity (usually in the region of £1500 to £2500).
Runners who have entered the ballot may also apply for a charity place. If you find you are successful in the ballot your charity place will be passed to someone else. If you would like to avoid the stress of the ballot and guarantee yourself a place in the event you can secure a charity place instead.
Running the London Marathon and charity fundraising go hand-in-hand - which charity will you run for?