London Marathon Group
Building Relevance at Scale Through Inclusion-led Growth
We built a strategy and action plan to guide the London Marathon Group through a new stage of growth
The Challenge
London Marathon Group (LMG)—spanning both a global events business and a charitable foundation—was entering a new phase of growth. Audience expectations were shifting, participation was diversifying, and cultural relevance could no longer be taken for granted.
The question wasn’t whether inclusion mattered, but how to operationalise it across a complex organisation—in a way that strengthened reach, deepened connection, and sustained long-term growth in participation, spectatorship, and cultural impact.
Our Role
We partnered with London Marathon Group to embed Inclusion-led Relevance as a strategic growth capability, not a standalone initiative.
Through an ongoing partnership, we helped LMG move from intention to execution—creating a shared direction, building internal capability, and translating cultural ambition into day-to-day decision-making that served both audience growth and organisational clarity.
What We Delivered
Our work followed a clear Unpack → Untangle → Unlock pathway:
Organisation-wide diagnostic and benchmark
An inside-out assessment established a clear baseline for inclusion-led relevance—surfacing strengths, gaps, and growth opportunities across the organisation.A co-created strategic vision
We worked with leaders and teams to define a shared, organisation-wide vision that aligned purpose, audiences, and growth—creating clarity from top to bottom.Audience prioritisation for growth
Marketing teams were supported to move beyond broad reach towards sharper audience understanding, identifying where inclusion could unlock new and under-served participation.Capability building for marketing and growth teams
Practical learning interventions strengthened cultural intelligence and decision-making confidence within marketing functions.A Marketing Capability Playbook
A bespoke playbook translated strategy into action—guiding everyday choices, campaign development, and audience engagement in service of sustainable growth.
The Impact
Clear organisational alignment on direction and purpose, replacing fragmented DEI understanding with a shared relevance lens
Increased confidence and capability within marketing teams to attract, engage, and retain diverse audiencesRecord-breaking participation and engagement, including:
56,640 marathon finishers
Approximately 800,000 spectators
1.1 million applicants for the 2026 ballot—surpassing all previous records
Inclusion became a driver of scale, energy, and cultural resonance, not an adjunct to delivery.
“This work sharpened our understanding of what inclusion really means in practice—how it shows up in experience design, audience connection, and growth.
The London Marathon is about belonging to something bigger than a single event. Embedding this thinking has helped us create experiences that feel more human, more representative, and more powerful for the communities we serve.”
London Marathon Group
What Makes this Case Relevant?
This partnership demonstrates how Inclusion-led Relevance can operate at scale—helping a globally recognised event stay culturally vital while continuing to grow participation, audiences, and impact.
It shows what’s possible when inclusion is treated not as a moral add-on, but as a strategic discipline for relevance, experience, and growth.