London Landmarks Half Marathon expected to raise over £18 million

Howard Lake | 12 April 2026 | News

• Tagged with:
• collaboration
• fundraising events
• London
• London Landmarks Half Marathon
• mass participation events

Today 20,000 runners took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon, most of them fundraising for Tommy’s, the charity that organises this multi-charity event, and its 800+ charity partners.

Ahead of the race the event total stood at £14.8 million raised in total for all these charities, but this is expected to pass £18 million now that the run has taken place.

First run in 2018 this collaborative event has raised a total of £85 million.

The run starts near Downing Street and its 13.1-mile route takes the runners past 16 of London’s famous landmarks, including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Shard, Tower of London, and The Gherkin, with a finish beside Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. 

Every step taken for charity was driven by a personal story for each of the runners involved, reinforcing the event’s unique mission to give back.

Wheelchair participants and visually impaired runners with their guides started proceedings followed by the mass of charity runners.

This year once again included a special Tommy’s Pink Wave, uniting participants raising awareness and funds for the organisers of the event, to support those who have endured the heartbreak and devastation of baby loss.

Top fundraisers

The top fundraisers for this year’s event are: 

• Paul Flynn – raised £57, 242 for Hospices of Hope
• Barry Glendenning – raised £50,683 for Great Ormond Street Hospital 
• Daniel Battams-Scott – raised £21,225 for Pancreatic Cancer UK 
• Alan Harris – raised £13,039 for Mencap 
• James Stone – raised £12,235 for Blood Cancer UK 

Mascot wins

A highlight of the day was Dandelion Bear’s narrow victory over Oli the Elephant in the charity mascot dash.

Lisa Hale from Drayton, Oxfordshire, ran dressed as an ovary in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for “the fastest half as a female body part”.

The landmark costume runners returned, as did the Mascot Guard of Honour, while live DJs, bands, and choirs created a party-like atmosphere along the route.

Celebrity runners

Celebrities taking part included Jo Whiley, Alexandra Burke, Clara Amfo, Tyler West, Molly Rainsford, Sophie Rayworth, Caroline & Tom Bridge, AJ Pritchard, Aimee Fuller, Tom Clare and Casey O’Gorman.

Singer Alexandra Burke returned for the second year. On finishing she said:

“It was amazing, so, so incredible. The support out there in the streets of London was unreal. We’re just very proud to have done it for Tommy’s. If you’ve ever run a London Landmarks, you need to do it for Tommy’s, guys. Come on, do it. It’s amazing to see something so much bigger than yourself and how that feeds everyone. It’s what the world needs now.”

DJ Jo Whiley made her first LLHM appearance. She said: 

“I’ve always wanted to do this one. This has been a really important one to get in my life. I think we’ve all done this for our own personal reasons, whether it’s running for somebody in particular or for a good cause or running for yourself. Can I just say there’s a really amazing spirit, everybody here is so excited and it felt like one of the best runs to do.”

The results

• First across the finish line: Stefan Otway in a time of 1:08:31
• First woman: Katya Kostrencic in 1:22:13
• Fastest visually impaired runner: Kombo Tunduwani with guide runner Warwick Hockley in 1:49:45
• Fastest wheelchair (non-assisted): Ben Spencer in 1:52:21

Tommy’s and the London Landmarks Half Marathon

Tommy’s spent two and a half years developing the event to benefit themselves and the wider charity  sector. With their offices based in the heart of the City, Tommy’s noticed a gap in the market, realising a central London half marathon taking in the City and all of the Capital’s landmarks did not exist. Tommy’s therefore took the decision to organise the London Landmarks Half Marathon to benefit both themselves, and many other charities too.

Race Director Lia Fyles congratulated all who ran, and those who supported them and who volunteered to make the event happen. She said:

“This is without fail my favourite day of the year. We know we have created something truly unique with the London Landmarks Half marathon. It’s so much more than a race for many of the 20,000 runners who took part today – many take on the 13.1 miles for deeply personal reasons and fundraise for incredible causes. We are so proud to be recognised for our inclusive and welcoming atmosphere, and seeing runners from all walks of life crossing the finish line is simply magical”.

Next year’s event is open for pre-registration

The 2027 event will be the 10th London Landmarks Half Marathon. It takes place on Sunday 4 April 2027. Pre-registration is now open.

• Tommy’s moves 2021 London Landmarks Half Marathon to August (2 March 2021)
  
• London Landmarks Half Marathon raises £6 million (4 April 2022)
  
• London Landmarks Half Marathon raises over £8.8 million (3 April 2023)
  

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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale. He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.