"Bananaman" set a new record in 2009 for fastest runner dressed as a cartoon character. Photo by Jamie MacDonald Cole
Marathon runners and fundraisers amassed a whopping £47.2 million off the back of the 2009 race, setting this year's London Marathon fair to see the cumulative total of this landmark annual challenge surpass the half a billion mark for quids raised for charity since the race's inception in 1981.
The spectacle of thousands of runners pounding the streets in serious race mode and fancy dress fun every April is what sticks in the mind but behind the scenes the London Marathon Charitable Trust is making essential grants to develop sport and recreation facilities in the capital. They've saved playing fields, given apparatus to gym clubs, providing bowling carpets, artificial cricket wickets and climbing walls. That aside, there's the amazing individual fundraising for causes too numerous to mention, that benefit hugely from the Marathon. It's inspirational.
But before we get too carried away with this feat of athleticism, endurance and philanthropy, don't forget your very own Londonistas are taking on Tower 42 on 25th February and we'd dearly love to raise £2000 for Shelter this year. Check out our JustGiving page and training updates. We need your support to surmount those steps! Please donate and leave us an encouraging, or at least rude message. Thank you.
London Marathon Race Day is 25th April 2010.
