Run London Marathon for Charity

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If you’re brave enough to run the 26.2 mile route around the capital, here is what you need to know about running London marathon for charity.

Ballot entry opens around May and you can also sign up online. As the charity London Marathon is such a popular event, runners are chosen at random so fingers crossed you are selected to run London marathon for charity. You don’t need to pay to enter unless you accept to take part in the London marathon. The London marathon charity places cost is usually between £30 and £40. Once you’ve confirmed your place, you may want to start to think about running for a charity and helping to raise money for a cause close to your heart. Some charities have a number of confirmed places available for runners to take part in the London Marathon but you will need to commit to raising a minimum amount in sponsorship. All participants in the charity run must be 18 or over to enter.

Age Restriction: 18+

Route Length: 26.2 miles

Cost: £30-£40

How to run the London Marathon for Charity

There are a couple of different ways in which you can run the London Marathon for charity. You can apply for one of the London Marathon charity places, or you can enter the ballot for places and pick your own charity to support when your place as a runner is confirmed. 

How do London Marathon charity places work?

Some charities are awarded a limited number of places in the London Marathon, which the charity can allocate to people wanting to fundraise on behalf of that charity. Whilst the way it works exactly will vary from charity to charity, many of the London Marathon charities offering places require a minimum pledge or donation from anyone who uses a place to run the race. Most people choose to gain the pledge money for their London Marathon charity entry through sponsorship from friends and family, or businesses and other organisations. There may also be a registration fee to pay to the charity if your application for a place is successful. 

Can I run the London Marathon for a charity if I get a ballot place? 

If you’re fortunate enough to be allocated a place to run the London Marathon through the ballot system, you can choose a charity to raise money for with your efforts. 

We’d love you to consider fundraising for Alder Hey Children’s Charity when you run the London Marathon. You can be part of a charity that helps make a real difference to children and families every day; saving and changing lives with the research and innovation that we couldn’t do without the support of people like you. You can find out more about how the money raised by Alder Hey Children’s Charity is used here. 

If you want to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity with your London Marathon place, there are a few tips that may help to maximise the amount of money raised through sponsorship for this great cause. 

• The sooner you set up an online donation page, the sooner people can start sponsoring you. If you raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity with a Virgin Money Giving page, they automatically deal with gift aid and transfer the money to Alder Hey after the event
• If you set a target on the page, it is proven to help raise more money
• Tell your story on the page – who you are and why you want to raise money for this particular charity
• Ask your friends and family to share your donation page on social media. They may have already sponsored you, or not be able to at the moment; but, by sharing, they could help you raise even more for a great cause
• You can ask your employer if they run a matched giving scheme. Some companies will match donations made by your colleagues or even the whole sum you raise to help you achieve a bigger total.

If you want to run the London Marathon for Alder Hey Children’s Charity, make sure that you download our fundraising pack and let us know what you’re doing to help us, by calling our Fundraising Office on 0151 252 5716. 

We have some helpful training plans if you are thinking of running to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

For more information visit: www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com.

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