LONDON MARATHON 2025
Sunday 27th April 2025
Want to enter the London Marathon 2025?
Lots of us entered the ballot for the London Marathon and yet again most of us were unsuccessful.
The only option available now seems to be a charity place. The amount you need to raise for the various charities is around £2,000 which is no mean feat, and often – quite understandably – puts people off.
So I’ve come up with an idea…what if we all got behind 2 of our club runners who sign up to run for a charity (of their choice) and we all support them with their fundraising and training efforts? Many of us got behind Susan and Emma’s excellent fundraising events and activities last year and really enjoyed them – helping them raise money for their charities by entering raffles / quizzes / fun runs / buying cakes etc.
As for the training, many of us joined in with the training for Susan (charity), Emma (charity) and Jill (ballot) earlier this year so I can’t see why we wouldn’t want to do a similar thing next year. I also understand that quite a few club runners are entering other marathons during the year so you’ll need to get the training in anyway! And Emma has already signed up for the virtual London Marathon so she’ll be training as hard as ever…(can you spot her in the image above??).
Want to throw your hat into the charity ring? Please read through these questions – and just ask if anything isn’t covered here.
Why limit it to 2 club runners?
I believe it would be good to limit it to 2 people as if there are too many people trying to raise money at the same time, then it puts a lot of pressure on local resources and ‘charity fatigue’ can set in.
What if more than 2 people want to do it?
We’ll put names in a hat and draw out 2 people at random. Of course there is nothing stopping you from entering for a charity on your own, but by doing it this way, we’re trying to create a ‘community support system’ for the huge fundraising and training efforts that are required.
If I’m selected as one of the 2 runners, can it be any charity?
Yes the runner gets to choose the charity they want to run for and you are responsible for all dealings with the charity.
Will the club guarantee that I will raise the amount required?
No, the runner remains fully liable for raising the amount set by the charity, but we will really get behind your fundraising efforts and support you wherever possible.
Won’t this be expensive for people supporting the runners?
Not necessarily – people will give as much as they want to! But the charity events that the runners organised for last year’s marathon were really enjoyable and it seemed that everyone took part and donated voluntarily.
Can I get sponsorship from people who are not part of NRR?
Yes! It’s a lot of money to raise so there are no limits on who you get to sponsor you.
Do I have to come to the NRR weekly training sessions?
No not necessarily but the more involved in the club you are, the more likely you are to meet running friends to train with and people who want to come to your events and sponsor you!! It will also be beneficial to have a structured training routine so joining the training sessions would (in my opinion!) be a very good idea. And NRR will donate at least 10% of everything you spend on training sessions / long runs between signing up and the event.
What sort of events should I organise to raise the money?
It’s totally up to you! You can always ask Susan and Emma for their fundraising advice – what worked well, what didn’t work quite so well, etc.
What if I’m not able to raise the required amount of money?
As above, you are responsible for fundraising and organising the events, so you need to bear this in mind when you commit, but we will be there to support you wherever possible.
Will you help with logistics on race day?
It’s your job to work out your logistics on race day but we’ll be here to help in any way we can. And of course we’ll be glued to your dot on the tracking app (from the comfort of our sofas!).
When do I have to sign up?
The sooner the better! Please throw your hat into the charity ring by completing this form by 31st July and if there are more than 2 people interested, we’ll have a draw to pick 2 people at random.