More than 17,000 finish Vitality London 10,000 as Celebrate You Wave puts body positivity centre stage

In perfect running conditions, participants completed the 10K route past London’s most iconic landmarks – from St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England to Westminster Abbey – before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace – the world’s only 10K to do so.

The day closed with the Celebrate You Wave, which championed body positivity and welcomed thousands of runners celebrating their running journeys – many of them in their underwear. Among those leading the wave were Bryony Gordon and Helen Thorn who first created the Celebrate You movement at the Vitality London 10,000 in 2019. 

Earlier in the day, Eilish McColgan won the women’s race for the third time to equal the record of Jo Pavey, crossing the Finish Line in 30:35 to clock the fastest time over 10K in the UK this year.

Elaine Rayner, Event Lead for the Vitality London 10,000, said: “The Vitality London 10,000 has capped off a memorable weekend of running, with more than 17,000 people enjoying the most iconic 10K in the country. The vibes on the course were incredible, with many completing the challenge of running 10K for the first time, so a huge congratulations to everyone. Today is about more than running, it's about celebrating the incredibly diverse field of people who can be part of an event like the Vitality London 10,000.

"It caps an incredible weekend, after yesterday’s Vitality Westminster Mile saw a new Guinness World Record set, a sub-four-minute mile run, and we saw our oldest-ever finisher cross the line aged 99. We hope to see everyone back in 2026, with entries already open for both the Vitality Westminster Mile on Saturday 26 September and Vitality London 10,000 on Sunday 27 September.”  

Celebrate You sees record numbers champion body positivity

The 2025 event saw more people than ever before join the Celebrate You Wave, the final wave of the day, that empowered individuals of all backgrounds, ages, and body types to find joy, confidence, and community through movement. 

Founded in 2019 by journalist Bryony Gordon and comedian Helen Thorn to inspire more women to take up running, the number of participants in 2025 grew to almost 3,000 – a number that blew away Gordon. 

“Celebrate You is so amazing it’s so fun and it’s so inclusive,” she said. “Women have been conditioned to think that so much of exercise is about making ourselves smaller and this is about making our world bigger. What our bodies can do is amazing so we’re showing in a kind of extreme, visceral way that you don’t have to look a certain way to do exercise – it's about making yourself feel good, not necessarily look good. 

 Thorn added: “Celebrate You is about choosing yourself, choosing your body, getting to be joyful and sharing a community. It’s been bloody marvellous.” 

She said: “It's been everything I am about, really, as I run topless, and today I ran topless and in my pants. It's about celebrating your authenticity, maybe you've got scars like me and you're about yourself, running and empowering others - just inspiring people to run whether or not they feel they can. That's what it's about - everybody can just go out and run.” 

Gordon and Thorn also hosted a Q&A at the Vitality Wellness Festival in Green Park after the run, in which there were a number of female-friendly sessions and activations, which included health checks and exert bra fitting advice.

Eilish clocks best time in the UK over 10K this year as she sets equals record

Scot Eilish McColgan won her third straight Vitality London 10,000 to equal the record of Jo Pavey. 

McColgan set the standard in her final preparations ahead of the New York City Marathon at the beginning of November, running 30:35 to clock the fastest time over the distance by a British female this year. She finished ahead of Jessica Warner-Judd (31:14) - the third-fastest time in the UK this year – and Alexandra Bell (31:31) - the fifth fastest.  

In the men’s race, Zak Mahamed won his first Vitality London 10,000 title in 29:07. Club runner Blake Moore produced a stunning run to finish in second (29:45) just ahead of Seyfu Jamaal (29:54).  

David Weir made it four wins at the Vitality London 10,000 in the men’s wheelchair race in 21:18, ahead of Michael McCabe (25:33) and Illias Zghoundi (29:28).  

In the women’s wheelchair race, Erin O’Flaherty was the victor in 35:45 ahead of Roz Delap (39:18) and Yasmin Hodkinson (41:15). 

For more reaction from the top three men, women, and wheelchair participants visit the Media Resources page. 

Women’s activations take centre stage at Vitality Wellness Festival

Thousands enjoyed the Vitality Wellness Festival, which offers free activities for all the family as well as initiatives to support participants’ mental and physical wellbeing. 

New for 2025 were even more female activations and sessions. These included New Balance bra fittings, physiotherapy for female runners and pre and postnatal checks. 

Catherine Erdly, from south-east London, was one participant who took in the sessions on offer. 

She said: “I’ve been into the NIXI Body tent where they are selling period and bladder leak knickers for runners which is amazing,” she said. “I’ve bought some for myself and also for my daughter.  

“I think a lot of people feel self-conscious about exercising when they are on their period and what NIXI Body are doing to help overcome that is great. I loved the run today and it was such a fun event, everything ran so smoothly, and it was a brilliant course.”