Tommy’s London Landmarks Half Marathon beats £6m fundraising target

25 Mar 2019 News

The London Landmarks Half Marathon, which took place yesterday, has broken its fundraising target of £6m.

LLHM is run by the baby and pregnancy charity Tommy’s. It is unconnected to the London Marathon, which is run by London Marathon Events. 

In this its second year, LLHM had 13,000 runners, including Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden and 20 other celebrities.

Lia Fyles, LLHM race director, said: “We’re delighted to have reached our £6m fundraising target already, and we expect that figure to rise close to £7m in the next few weeks as runners continue to fundraise.

“We’re thrilled to have welcomed thousands of runners to tackle one of the most unique and interactive half marathon routes in the world. We have already received some incredible feedback about the day, with runners loving the music, the cheer stations and the London characters lining the route. 

“We will be back on 29th March 2020 and pre-registration for the LLHM2020 ballot is already open.”

Showing off London’s landmarks

More than 180 charities are involved with Tommy’s in the LLMH, including Age UK and Children with Cancer UK.

These partner charities offer runners a place on the marathon start line and the chance to raise funds.

Runners also signed up through a public ballot to get onto the 13.1 mile marathon route, with £55 entry fees that went to Tommy’s.

Around 50,000 spectators were there on marathon day, and there were 180 charity cheer stations along the route, including one that was Mary Poppins-themed and another based on the board game Monopoly.

The LLHM has grown since its launch in 2018 by 3,000 runners and an additional 80 charity partners. In 2018 its fundraising total was almost £5m.

Tommy’s created the LLHM after realising the demand for a fundraising marathon that let runners take in the landmark sights of London.

The charity has five research centres across the UK investigating the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

The LLHM started on Pall Mall with a bowler hat send-off and were greeted by the ringing of the Bow Bells in Cheapside and a ‘Roman Reception’ in Aldermanbury.

The marathon was routed to show off London landmarks like Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Gherkin.

There were also sights highlighting the hidden culture and history of London, such as Dr Johnson’s house, who created the English Dictionary.

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