London Marathon runners have raised £19.9m via Virgin Money Giving

05 Oct 2021 News

London Marathon runners have collectively raised nearly £20m via Virgin Money Giving, although this is £4m less than at the same point in the cycle in 2019. 

The Virgin Money Giving platform will close at the end of November as the partnership between the donation platform and the event comes to an end. 

This year’s event took place on Sunday and Virgin Money Giving yesterday announced that it had seen its biggest ever race week, raising £8.2m in the lead-up to race, with £2.1m raised on race day. 

The week after the 2019 London Marathon, donations through Virgin Money Giving came to £24.8m. 

Overall, the London Marathon normally raises more than £60m for charities. Other platforms are yet to announce how much has been raised by runners who used their platforms. 

Macmillan runners raise nearly £2m

Runners supporting Macmillan Cancer Support, this year’s official charity partner, have so far raised £1.9m through Virgin Money Giving. 

More than 1,500 runners supported Macmillan. They included You, Me & the Big C podcaster, Steve Bland, following the support his family received from the charity when his wife, journalist and presenter Rachael Bland, was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Ahead of the race, he said: “The year after Rachael died, I took on the Virgin Money London Marathon in her memory and it was one of the most incredible, inspiring and emotional experiences I’ve ever been a part of. I’m so excited to be back with Team Macmillan at the iconic start line about to take on the challenge once again. 
 
“Macmillan supported our family throughout Rachael’s treatment and palliative care and it is so important for me to raise money for the charity to help Macmillan continue to provide vital support to everyone affected by cancer. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on cancer care and Macmillan’s support has never been more important.” 

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