Press Release - London Marathon - 10/4/20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 Thousands of runners take on the virtual 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon

- More than 28,000 have already completed the virtual 2020 Virgin Money 
London Marathon

- 45,000 runners from 109 countries across the world have until 23:59:59 
BST today (Sunday) to finish their 26.2 miles

- The new Official App, powered by TCS, tracks runners' progress and those 
who complete the distance in the time will receive a finisher's T-shirt and 
medal

- Follow on social media @LondonMarathon #LondonMarathon #The40thRace on 
Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

The 40th Race was celebrated in the communities of all those taking part 
across the world. Here are some of their stories:

James Whaley, from Grimsby, completed his 26.2 miles by doing 130 laps of 
Grimsby Town FC's Blundell Park pitch, raising money for the When You Wish 
Upon a Star charity. Whaley said: "It was great to be part of such an 
amazing event, with people taking on the same challenge across the country. 
It was tough and particularly hard around mile 20, but I kept reminding 
myself of the kids who benefit from When You Wish Upon a Star, which put 
things into perspective and kept me going. Now I've finished it feels great 
and I can't wait to get to the London Marathon proper next year."

Presenter of the You, Me and The Big C podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live, Deborah 
James, started and finished her 26.2 miles at the Royal Marsden Hospital in 
Chelsea, which she was raising money for. James said: "Being able to see 
friends and family along the way was amazing. Plus, we passed so many other 
people doing their own virtual races. There were moments when I could see 
that they were struggling and when they could see I was struggling, so to 
find that camaraderie with total strangers was very special." Find out more 
here.

Thirty-seven-year-old Haider Ali, a GP from Manchester, completed his 
virtual London Marathon by walking the majority of his route to show anyone 
is capable of finishing the 26.2 miles. He said: "Regardless of it being a 
virtual event, I felt I was part of a larger group of people. The trickiest 
part was sticking to the plan and walking rather than running, which was 
very tempting. I hope in walking the London Marathon it will inspire some 
people to be healthier." Ali is raising money for Alzheimer's Research UK.

Eileen Noble, the oldest woman in the virtual event at 85 years old, ran 
her 20th London Marathon today and was surprised at how many fellow runners 
were out completing their 26.2 miles. She said: "It was so cold today. The 
route we took was flooded in so many places that we had to paddle through 
the water. My feet were soaked. Having said that, there were so many other 
people out running the virtual London Marathon today. I thought I might 
look silly running along the river wearing my race number, but we passed 
lots of other runners – you'd have thought there was a real race on… it 
felt like the real thing in some ways." Eileen is fundraising for Age UK 
and you can find out more here.

And finally, no London Marathon would be complete without some fancy dress! 
Making sure she livened up a rainy Sunday afternoon was Anna Bassil – 
running around St Albans dressed as a giant birthday cake to raise money 
for Save the Children UK, celebrating the charity's 100th birthday. She 
said: "Today was harder than the long runs I've been doing in training. My 
costume got heavier with the rain and was not at all aerodynamic with the 
wind! The best thing about today has to be the incredible support that I 
have received both from family and friends but also the general public. 
When people see a big cake running past them, they can't seem to help but 
smile and cheer me on – and that just filled me with happiness."

Hugh Brasher, Event Director of the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: "We 
are delighted and incredibly proud to have held this event during a 
worldwide pandemic. We have inspired 45,000 people from around the world to 
take part in their own challenge, their own 26.2 miles, and to do it their 
way.

"We wanted to give people a lift. The spirit of the London Marathon is 
about bringing people together. We couldn't get them together in reality, 
but we have brought them together as a community.

"The individual stories and achievements have been incredible, and we 
believe The 40th Race will live long in the memory. It truly has been a 
beacon of light in the darkness."

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