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Realbuzz raises over £3mn for charities in first year as Tokyo Marathon partner
Howard Lake | 13 August 2026 | News
Charity running specialist realbuzz has raised £3,048,741 for charities worldwide in its first year as the official international charity partner of the Tokyo Marathon.
The milestone follows a multi-year partnership signed in 2024 between realbuzz and the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, which for the first time opened the event’s charity programme to international causes. The Tokyo Marathon, one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, takes place each March and attracts tens of thousands of runners from around the world.
Appointed to deliver the international charity programme realbuzz was responsible for recruiting runners, onboarding charity partners and managing the fundraising experience. The programme brought together an international community of participants supporting more than 100 international charities from around the world.
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Nick Hollowood, chief executive of realbuzz, described Tokyo as “one of the most coveted races in the world” and said the ambition to run there had translated directly into fundraising impact. He added that more than 100 charities now had a foothold in one of the world’s great marathons. He described the result as “just the beginning.”
Tadaaki Hayano, chairman and chief executive of the Tokyo Marathon Foundation, said the event had always been international in character and that welcoming more global participants was central to its vision for the future. He described the partnership as a meaningful step in that direction.
Realbuzz said the result underlines the growing role of international charity programmes within major mass-participation events. It highlighted the opportunity of strong global demand for charity places, the value of structured and fully supported fundraising journeys, and the potential to scale charity participation beyond domestic markets. For charities, it argued, the programme opened access to new global audiences and potentially high-value fundraising opportunities.
Realbuzz has provided charity running programmes for more than 20 years, partnering with events worldwide. The Tokyo Marathon Foundation was established in 2010 to promote public health and the city of Tokyo through running.
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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.