London Marathon is always a big day for running in the UK, as over 55,000 runners of all abilities take to the streets of the capital to test their limits over the 26.2 mile marathon distance.
But this year’s London Marathon, taking place on Sunday 27 April, for the first time in history isn’t the only major marathon getting underway in the UK. Because the Manchester Marathon is sharing the limelight.
Biggest day of marathon running in UK history
Between the London Marathon and the Manchester Marathon, it’s estimated 90,000 runners will complete a marathon all on the same day. That’s a collective distance of 2,358,000 miles. Enough mileage to get you round the Earth’s circumference 94.6 times!
The London Marathon was set to become the world’s largest marathon – though it looks like the recent edition of the Paris Marathon has stolen that particular accolade as a record 57,000 runners crossed the finish line. Around 56,000 runners are expected to cross the finish line at the London Marathon, so the UK’s capital will have to settle for a close second in the world’s largest marathon stakes.
Behind London, Manchester is the second largest marathon in the UK and one of the largest in Europe. In 2025, it’s expected that over 30,000 people will complete the race.
A big day for charity
London Marathon holds the status for the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event – since its establishment in 1981 the race has raised over £1.3 billion for charity.
Manchester Marathon also brings a significant number of charity runners to the start line. Which means with both races taking place on the same day in 2025, Sunday 27 April will be a phenomenal day for charitable fundraising. A press release from Manchester Marathon states that nearly £80 million is expected to be raised for charity on race day.
Running growing in popularity, says SportsShoes report
With the recent news that fitness giant Strava has just acquired London-based running app, Runna. It’s perhaps no surprise to see that running is having a moment in the UK.
Data from the SportsShoes 2024 Running Report showed that last year 40% of the UK population said they run once a week, and 27% run 1-3 times per week – a 5% increase on 2023. And it’s not just recreational running – Brits are leaning into their competitive side, with a 9% increase in races being logged in 2024.
Perhaps most heartening for those of us who want to bring more people into the sport we love – there was also a notable increase in the number of non-runners who ‘expressed a definite desire to start running’. 13%, up from just 8% the year before.
Not so positive is the number of women reporting feeling unsafe while running (48%) and/or experiencing intimidating behaviour (70%). Overall, while the report suggests a steady rise in the number of women running, men are still more likely to run regularly compared to women – 44% vs 35%. So there’s certainly still more that needs to be done to get women into running – and keep them into running.
But with huge milestones like the 90,000 runners taking to the streets of London and Marathon – hopefully even more people will be inspired to lace their trainers up in 2025!
Both the London Marathon and the Manchester Marathon will take place on Sunday 27 April 2025. Head over to our marathon section where you’ll find all the latest marathon running news, training tips and gear guides!
