London Marathon

Run the 2010 Virgin London Marathon for WaterAid!

David Fortune ran the 2009 marathon dressed as a toilet to raise even more awareness!

Credit: WaterAid / Nicola Bourne

The 2010 Virgin London Marathon will be held on Sunday 25 April. With over 35,000 runners taking to the streets of London it is one of the world's most prestigious and exciting sporting events.
 
This year we had a team of 101 WaterAid runners aiming to raise over £100,000, enough to provide over 7,000 people with life-changing clean water, effective sanitation and hygiene education. 

In 2010 we aim to do even better and we need your help! Millions of people around the world face the equivalent of a daily marathon just to collect water. Every step you take for WaterAid brings them closer to a better quality of life.

In return for your dedication and commitment WaterAid will be there to support you every step of the way with your preparations.

Find out more below:

How to apply for a place in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon
How to apply one of WaterAid's Gold Bond places
What you will receive as part of the WaterAid Team
The fundraising challenge
Past and present WaterAid runners spill the beans 

2010 Virgin London Marathon

Due to record demand the official online ballot for the 2010 Virgin London Marathon has now closed. For more information please visit www.virginlondonmarathon.com (opens in a new window).

If you have been lucky enough to enter your name into the ballot you will have received email confirmation of your entry and you will be notified as to whether or not you have been successful at the end of September when you will be sent your Marathon News magazine.

Even if you have applied through the online ballot system, we also encourage you to apply for one of WaterAid's Gold Bond places. If you are unsuccessful in your ballot application, WaterAid will then consider you for one of their charity places.

WaterAid Gold Bond places

Unfortunately we have now closed the application process for our Gold Bond places. We have had a huge amount reponse, so thank you all very much for your support.

We will be announcing who has been allocated one of our places in September.

If you do receive a place through the ballot we would love to have you on our team! 
 
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact our events team at events@wateraid.org or on 0207 793 2232.

Watch this film to get a taste of running the London Marathon for WaterAid:

What you will receive as part of the WaterAid team

In return for your dedication and commitment to the marathon, WaterAid will be there to support you every step of the way during your preparations. WaterAid runners receive:

• An online sponsorship page
• A dedicated monthly WaterAid Team newsletter including tips on training and nutrition, fundraising advice and runners' stories
• A thorough fundraising information pack and running tips leaflet
• Access to our fundraising internet resources, containing a vast array of fundraising ideas and support materials
• Continuous advice and support from WaterAid's experienced events team
• A coveted WaterAid running vest!
• The opportunity to run in a WaterAid costume such as a WaterAid toilet, tap or a camel!
• A festive post-race party where participants can meet their supporters, receive a well deserved sports massage and refuel on refreshments!
• An exclusive training day for WaterAid runners, hosted by a personal trainer, with a practical session and tips on training, nutrition, pacing, and timing

Congratulations our 2009 runners!

We had a fantastic team of 101 runners who took part in the Flora London Marathon on the 26 April 2009 for WaterAid. It was a brilliant day and we want to say a huge thank you to everyone on the team and all the volunteers who helped out on the day to cheer everyone along. The WaterAid team included David Fortune who ran dressed as a toilet, Mike Needham who wore the WaterAid bucket hat, Martin and Laura from the Thames Water team dressed as Humphrey the camel and Bob Prothero who ran dressed as a carrot and broke the World Record as the fastest vegetable!

Thanks to everyone for all your support especially the runners who have worked so hard in training and fundraising over the past 6 months. You all did brilliantly!
 
Some comments from the team include:
 
"I ran for WaterAid and just wanted to say a big thank you for everything, the support before, during and after the marathon was fantastic. It was hard work running it but I will be back for more!" – Marie Gill
 
"A great big thank you to you and all those workers and volunteers that looked after us so well on the day and worked so hard on the organisation for WaterAid before and after the marathon. You make us runners feel very special and pampered!" – David Fortune

Past and present WaterAid runners spill the beans

Jeremy King from London ran the marathon last year wearing one of our bucket head costumes:

Bucket-head runner Jeremy King

Photo credit: Peter Bennett

"Very many thanks indeed to you and all of the WaterAid team for a fantastic day. Your support throughout was magnificent and the finishing party (especially the massage) was superb. It was also great to meet other runners and to talk through the run."

When asked about running with a bucket on his head:

"It was actually really quite comfortable! I almost forgot about it entirely after about five miles, other than the stream of comments from the crowd, such as 'Don't kick the bucket, you're looking a little pail!'"

Get in touch

For more information or details about our London Marathon team or any other events please contact WaterAid Events on 0845 6000 433 or email events@wateraid.org.