2026 TCS London Marathon Charity of the Year

The 2026 TCS London Marathon Charity of the Year partnership brought together Marie Curie and London Marathon Events to harness the power of the world’s largest one-day fundraising event and shine a national spotlight on the urgent need for better end of life care. Building on multiple previous bids, the partnership underpinned Marie Curie’s brand promise, ‘With you to the end’, connecting the emotional journey of marathon runners with the experience of supporting someone at the end of life.

A fully integrated, year-long campaign was delivered through close collaboration between both organisations. Marie Curie mobilised dedicated event management, project management and marketing resource, alongside a national network of community fundraisers to recruit and steward its largest ever running team. London Marathon Events provided expert guidance, shared best practice, and facilitated access to sponsors, enabling new income streams and partnerships. Together, they delivered a high-impact, multi-channel campaign spanning on-route activations, extensive out-of-home advertising and national media engagement.

The partnership resulted in the most successful running event fundraiser in Marie Curie’s history, raising over £2 million and contributing to a record-breaking £87.5 million raised for charities overall. A team of 748 runners, including over 200 ballot place holders, chose to support the charity, reflecting powerful public connection to the cause. The campaign achieved unprecedented reach across media, social and broadcast platforms, raised national awareness of the end of life care crisis, and firmly established Marie Curie at the heart of one of the UK’s most iconic events.