VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON ANNOUNCES NEW CHARITY BALLOT
This ballot opens today, Thursday, May 1st and closes on May 23rd. To enter this new ballot charities should follow this link: www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/charity-ballot/
Up to 500 charities will be allocated one place each – should more than 500 charities apply, there will be a random draw and the successful charities will be notified on 30th May. As with existing guaranteed charity entries, this place must be filled by 30th January 2015.
Peter Lewis, Chief Executive of the Institute of Fundraising, said: “Fundraising events like the London Marathon make a huge contribution to good causes. Not only are significant amounts of money raised, but it is also a fantastic opportunity for charities to gain more visibility, engage with their donors, and for thousands of volunteer fundraisers to be involved in raising money for causes that they care about.
“We are glad that the London Marathon has consulted with a range of charities to look at how best places can be allocated – we hope that the changes will improve accessibility for charities who have not been involved with the London Marathon before, as well as being fair to those who have a long relationship with the event and have raised millions of pounds.”
This new ballot follows the success of the Virgin Money London Marathon 2015 entry ballot, which closed last week in nine hours and 41 minutes, beating the previous record by 1 hour and 47 minutes, with over 125,000 runners accepted into this ballot.
Race Director Hugh Brasher said: “We are delighted that we can offer 500 places to charities who would not have had a chance to secure a place for 2015. As the popularity of the marathon continues to grow, demonstrated by the ballot closing in record time, places are always going to be extremely sought after.”
Brasher added: “At this year's London Marathon we witnessed record crowds who were rewarded with two course records and one world record, and we are naturally very happy about the continuing popularity of our event, now in its 35th year.”
Paul Lloyd, Chief Marketing Officer at Virgin Money, said: “The Virgin Money London Marathon is unique among international sporting events in that ordinary people can compete and join in with the best in the world. The effort of the runners and their charity fundraising never ceases to inspire, so it is very good news that 500 additional charities will have access to places for the event in 2015.”
Despite the ballot for places closing in record time there are other ways to enter the 2015 event. People wishing to run for a charity dear to their heart may still be able to do so. Many major charities will have a set number of entry places in the Virgin Money London Marathon each year. They will allocate these places to runners on the basis that they will raise an agreed amount of money for the charity. For more information potential participants should visit www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/raising-money.
There are usually more runners interested in running for each charity than there are charity places available, so the charities will select their runners based on the runner's connection with the good cause and how much money they are realistically able to raise for the charity.
The 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon will take place on Sunday 26th April. For more information go to www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com
- ENDS -
About The London Marathon
The London Marathon was first run in 1981, co-founded by the late Chris Brasher, and current London Marathon Director John Disley, establishing charitable status and with six aims:
1. To improve the overall standard and status of British marathon running by providing a fast course and strong international competition.
2. To show mankind that, on occasions, the Family of Man can be united.
3. To raise money for the provision of recreational facilities in London.*
4. To help London tourism.
5. To prove that when it comes to organising major events, ‘Britain is best’.
6. To have fun and provide happiness and sense of achievement in a troubled world.
Over 924,650 finishers have raised, it is estimated, more than £663 million in sponsorship for numerous charities over the years. A record breaking £46.5 million was raised for good causes in the 2007 event, making the London Marathon a Guinness World Record holder as the largest single annual fundraising event in the world. The amount raised for charities in 2012 was £52.8 million and in 2013 the amount raised rose to £53 million. The 2014 fundraising figures will be available September 2014.