The London Marathon Is Finally Back and Bigger Than Ever!
This year the return of the London Marathon aimed high, attracting 100,000 participants, whether they were physically taking part through the streets of London or completed the race via a virtual app. The 26.2 mile race returned after two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the pandemic has caused much stress, the evolution of technologies and virtual attendance to events has increased the scale of which they are able to operate on. In previous years, the event organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon could never have dreamed of getting so many people from all corners of the world involved.
Hugh Brasher, Virgin Money London Marathon Event Director, said: “With a national vaccination programme underway, we hope to see an unprecedented 100,000 people take part in the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 3 October.”
“The world record-breaking success of the virtual event in 2020 and the incredible stories from participants across the globe showed how the world’s greatest marathon brought light and hope in the darkness of the pandemic. We want to offer that again and we have also accelerated the plans we have been working on for some years to increase the number of as well as finishers on the streets of London to 50,000.”
This year being the 40th edition of the London Marathon, meant that triumph was guaranteed. With the combination of the virtual race and the in-person event in London this October Hugh Brasher and the entire London Marathon team, alongside all their volunteers ensured that people could run and take part wherever they are in the.
Managing an event with nearly 100,000 participants, finding the support of sponsors, partners and suppliers, as well as ensuring the right broadcaster, the London Marathon displays the challenging requirements that every major event faces across the globe, whether it be large or small. With the BBC broadcasting live coverage of the race worldwide and gaining sponsors from Virgin Money to Lucozade sport, the London Marathon have plenty of experience when it comes to connecting with appropriate suppliers in the industry.
Consequently, we are so pleased to say that Hugh Brasher will be sharing his knowledge by speaking on the ‘Secrets of Mass Participation Events’ panel at our UK Events Summit this December. Hugh will be accompanied by Gary Wright, Chief Operating Officer, The Great Run Company and Matthew Brooke, Managing Director, Tough Mudder in order to communicate the importance of the underlying core competencies of every event with the entire industry.
Find out more at https://www.virginmoneylondonmarathon.com/the-event/runner-event-guide