The National Autistic Society (NAS) has been announced as the official charity partner for next year’s London Marathon.
Applications opened in March last year to become the lead charity partner for the 2027 marathon, with organisers bidding to hold a two-day event and potentially increasing participation to almost 100,000 people.
The successful applicant is guaranteed 250 places at the 2027 event, plus 50 in 2028, 25 in 2029 and 10 in 2030, all at ballot price and in addition to any entries the charity may already hold.
NAS will take over from this year’s lead partner, Marie Curie, which recruited around 1,300 runners and has so far raised £1.91m from the event. Pancreatic Cancer UK, the marathon’s official charity for 2025, raised more than £2.8m as of race day.
The announcement comes three days after this year’s race, at which Sabastian Sawe of Kenya became the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours under competitive conditions.
Plans for ‘most inclusive event yet’
NAS told Civil Society it was chasing a £2m fundraising target, adding in its announcement that it is “collaborating with the TCS London Marathon on new initiatives to make the 2027 event the most inclusive yet”.
The charity said it is encouraging participants to become part of a national movement via its It’s Time to Show Up marathon campaign.
It said this is designed to increase public understanding of autism by helping everyone to consider how they can support autistic people, such as by allowing more processing time and advocating for autistic colleagues in the workplace.
Caroline Stevens, NAS chief executive, said: “The 700,000 autistic people and their families across the UK face a constant fight for support, amid a chronic lack of public understanding and a concerning rise in misinformation about autism.
“Being named as the TCS London Marathon Charity of the Year will not only help us raise vital funds through this iconic event, but also means that we can help everyone to understand the simple, meaningful ways that they can show up for autistic people, which can have a huge impact on their daily lives.”
Hugh Brasher, CEO of London Marathon Events (LME), said the organisation was “delighted” to welcome NAS as its lead charity partner for 2027.
He said: “The Charity of the Year partnership gives the National Autistic Society a powerful platform to improve public understanding of autism and to raise vital funds that will support autistic people across the UK for years to come.”
LME has yet to announce how much was raised for charities overall from the 2026 marathon, following last year’s record £87.3m, but JustGiving reported on Monday that £43m had gone through its platform.
