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London Marathon

Embedding inclusion to help the London Marathon grow and stay relevant

We built a strategy and action plan to guide the London Marathon Group through a new stage of growth

The challenge

London Marathon Group - made up of the Events business and the Foundation charity - wanted to keep up with the changing expectations of different communities when it comes to their social purpose of ‘inspiring activity’. 


Our response

Through an ongoing partnership we have built a strategic roadmap that guides the whole organisation on embedding inclusivity in service of growth and relevance.


What we delivered

  • An inside out diagnostic with benchmarking and a baseline for embedding inclusion

  • A co-created and shared vision across the organisation from top to bottom that now steers inclusive thinking

  • Capability building amongst marketing teams with audience prioritisations established for growth

  • Marketing capability playbook that guides day-to-day decision making in service of audience growth


The impact

  • Organisational clarity on the direction of travel with shared understanding of DEI

  • Increased capability levels within marketing team to attract and retain new audiences

  • Record breaking levels of applicants, finishers and spectators

Still riding the high from my first ever marathon a week ago today—the 2025 TCS London Marathon. What an unforgettable, emotional and joyful experience!

This year’s race was historic: a record-breaking 56,640 finishers completed the course, and approximately 800,000 spectators cheering us on, making the experience even more exhilarating. Looking ahead, enthusiasm continues to soar. A staggering 1.1m people have applied for the 2026 TCS London Marathon ballot, shattering previous records and reaffirming the event’s global appeal.

In my role I often speak about the power of inclusion, representation, and shared experience. Running the marathon gave me a deeply personal lens into what it means to belong—not just to a race, but to a movement.

Every cheer from the sidelines, every runner’s story, and every volunteer’s smile reinforced a truth we know but sometimes forget: community is built not just through shared goals, but through shared humanity. The cheer zones my team facilitated with community crews were joyful representations of the super diverse running community in London. In those moments where I needed a boost, they lifted my spirits and kept me going. Seeing my family on the route and my kids inspired by this event just elevated the experience even more, driving me to that finish line.

What a pleasure too, to have run it with friends like Mete Coban MBE, Nizam Uddin OBE Nadeem Javaid MBE who also got a taste of the magic we bring to London. Forever grateful for my team, the content and creative teams, the outstanding event experience team and everyone at LME (too many to thank individually) who make this such an incredible experience for participants. The dedication, commitment and hard work never goes unnoticed.

My experience vividly brought to life our DEI statement:

Activity is for everyone. We connect people and communities through experiences that change lives.

To everyone who showed up, ran, cheered, volunteered, or supported from afar—you reminded me why I do what I do.


Here’s to more moments that move us forward, together.

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