Runners in the 2011 Virgin London Marathon set yet another record figure for charity fund raising when they collected £51.8 million for good causes at this year’s race.
It is the fifth consecutive year that London Marathon entrants have broken the Guinness World Record for charity fund raising at a single annual event worldwide and brings the total raised for hundreds of charitable causes since the race began in 1981 to £557.8 million.
This year’s figure is an especially impressive total as there were five per cent fewer finishers than in 2010 when a record 36,550 crossed the finish line in The Mall.
There were 34,705 London Marathon finishers on Sunday 17 April 2011, meaning that in total 817,890 runners have now completed the race since it started 30 years ago.
“We are extremely pleased to announce another amazing record amount of money raised for charities by London Marathon runners,” said Virgin London Marathon race director David Bedford.
“The fact that this figure increased again for the fifth year in a row, despite having fewer finishers, shows just how committed our runners are to raising funds for good causes.
“There is no other marathon that comes close to us as an annual fund raising event. In fact, there is no other annual fund raising event worldwide that raises as much money as we do for charities.
“Running for charity is a key aspect of the London Marathon, with runners supporting hundreds of different charitable causes. It’s not only the runners themselves who add colour and excitement to the event, it’s the charity support teams who do so much to make the day as successful as it is.”
Five record years of charity fund raising:
| 2007 |
£46.5 million |
| 2008 |
£46.7 million |
| 2009 |
£47.2 million |
| 2010 |
£50.6 million |
| 2011 |
£51.8 million |
The 2012 Virgin London Marathon is on Sunday 22 April 2012 when the official charities will be the Prostrate Cancer Charity and Breast Cancer Care (see: www.teampb.org.uk).
