The prodigious growth of running clubs, fuelled by young women, has seen the popularity of the event sky-rocket
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here is always magic in the air on a London Marathon morning. But this year the event promises to dazzle and soar more than ever. A world-record 59,000 people will take part in Sunday’s race, raising close to £100m for charity while swallowing 93,024 Lucozade gels from Greenwich to the Mall. There are also whispers of a men’s world record attempt. But the biggest noise of all is coming from those hailing a new golden era of running.
The numbers are astonishing. The facts indisputable. More than 1.1 million people entered the ballot for this year’s race – 750,000 more than four years ago. Notably, a third of those were in the 18-29 category, with female entrants making up the biggest percentage of those under 30.
The London Marathon is now so big that, as the Guardian revealed last month, organisers plan to split it over two days in 2027 so that 100,000 can take part. But the running boom, that has been fuelled by gen Z, women, and social media, is one that few people saw coming.
