Spirit of the London Marathon

• Charlie Dark. DJ and poet Charlie formed Run Dem Crew (RDC) in London in 2007 as an alternative to more traditional running clubs. RDC is committed to change and works closely with young people across the capital.
• Chris Moon MBE. In 1995, Chris was blown up clearing landmines in Africa for a charity and lost his lower arm and leg. Less than a year after leaving hospital he completed the London Marathon. He has now run 14 London Marathons, raising thousands of pounds for charity.
• Claire Lomas. The first person in London Marathon history to complete the route in a bionic suit. Claire was paralysed after a horse riding accident in 2007 and walked the 26.2 miles in 2012, taking 16 days.
• Claude Umuhire. After surviving the Rwandan genocide, Claude came to London as a child. After finding himself homeless, he was introduced to running by The Running Charity, transformed his life and ran the London Marathon in 2015.
• Fauja Singh. Fauja is the oldest person to have ever finished the London Marathon. He was 93 years old when he completed the 2004 race. He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to sport and charity.
• Jill Tyrell. On 7 July 2005, Jill was on the same carriage as a suicide bomber who blew up an underground train as part of the 7/7 terror attacks. Jill spent two-and-a-half months in hospital following the attack but ran in the 2006 event.
• Matthew Rees and David Wyeth. The moving footage of Matt stopping on The Mall to help David finish in the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon went viral and touched millions round the world, inspiring The Spirit of The London Marathon Awards.
• Michael Watson. In September 1991, Michael sustained life-threatening head injuries during a world title fight with Chris Eubank. He spent six years in a wheelchair, but in April 2003 completed the London Marathon, walking the route in six days.
• Rhian Burke. Rhian, part of the Mind Over Marathon team in 2017, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after her son George died from pneumonia and her husband, overwhelmed by grief, took his own life days later.
• Roy Webber. Seventy-one-year-old Roy has volunteered at every London Marathon since the very first event in 1981 through his involvement with the 23rd Camberwell Scouts.
• Steve Chalke MBE. The record for most money raised for charity at the London Marathon – indeed at any marathon worldwide – is held by Reverend Steve Chalke MBE, who raised a jaw-dropping £2,330,159.38 in 2011.
• Zamzam Farah. Zamzam ran the 400m for Somalia at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but had to flee to the UK to seek asylum. She was helped by the Running Charity and completed the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon.

• Charlie Guenigault. A Met Police officer who bravely intervened when terrorists struck on London Bridge on 3 June 2017, but was stabbed five times and underwent an emergency operation to have his spleen removed. He ran the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon just eight months after the attack.
• David Weir. He is the most successful athlete in London Marathon history and in 2018 won his eighth elite men’s wheelchair title. David started his career competing in the Mini Marathon and as well as his victories in London, he went on to win six Paralympic gold medals.
• Inge Simonsen and Dick Beardsley. The joint winners of the first London Marathon in 1981 crossed the line hand-in-hand after neither could break the other over the previous 26.2 miles. Inge, from Norway, and Dick, from the USA, showed the true spirit of marathon running, forging a friendship that lasts to this day.
• Joyce Smith. The British Olympian and former 3,000m world record holder won the inaugural London Marathon in 1981 in a time of 2:29:57 at the age of 43. She returned the next year to win again and became the oldest woman to win the race at 44 years and 195 days, a record that still stands.
• Kathrine Switzer. One of the great trailblazers in the push for gender equality in sport, Kathrine became the first woman to enter, officially race and complete the Boston Marathon in 1967. In 2018, Switzer completed the London Marathon for the first time, aged 71, wearing her famous No. 261.
• North Kensington and Paddington Red Watch firefighters. Firefighters who were among the first to arrive at the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017 ran the 2018 event to raise money for those directly affected by the disaster. Members from Red Watch at North Kensington Fire Station and Red Watch at Paddington Fire Station completed the marathon side-by-side.
• Paula Radcliffe. She created history on the streets of London in 2003 when she set a new world record of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds – a record that remained unbeaten until 2019. Paula won the London Marathon on three occasions (2002, 2003, 2005).
• Simon Kindleysides. The first paralysed man to complete the London Marathon. Kindleysides took more than 36 hours to complete the 2018 event in an exoskeleton suit, raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity.
• Stephen’s Team. Runners from the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust took part in the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon, 25 years to the day after Stephen was murdered in a racially motivated attack. The runners raised money for the Trust, which gives young people the opportunity and support to flourish.
• Tanni Grey-Thompson. The winner of six London Marathon titles between 1992 and 2002 and one of the most successful disabled athletes in British history. Tanni, who was born with spina bifida, won 11 Paralympic gold medals and held more than 30 world records during her career.

• Aaron Plummer. The 20-year-old became the face of Mencap’s campaign, showing the world that having a learning disability is no barrier to achieving your dreams when he ran the 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon.
• Barbara Ralph. She has run a total of 30 London Marathons since her first in 1984 and has run the most London Marathons by a woman since the event began in 1981.
• Jo Gennari. A member of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Jo started running in 2012 as a novice and has gone on to run the London Marathon three times.
• Dave Heeley. As a child, Dave Heeley was diagnosed with an eye complaint called Retinitis Pigmentosa. In 2002, 'Blind Dave' as he calls himself, ran his first marathon in London. He has run 16 London Marathons to date.
• Helen Williams. She has cerebral palsy in all four limbs and a learning disability. Previously a para track athlete, she has found over the years that running, Pilates and yoga help her to stay focused and flexible. She first ran the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon and returned in 2019.
• James Ingham. The former Daily Star Sunday Showbiz Editor, has run 10 consecutive London Marathons and has raised more than £358,000 for various charities in that time. In 2013, James inspired his celebrity contacts to host his very first Jog On To Cancer event to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
• Jane Smith. She always wanted to run the London Marathon, but a diagnosis of breast cancer and the resulting mastectomy and reconstructive surgery meant she was unable to run in 2018. Jane took part for Macmillan Cancer Support in 2019 with two friends as support walkers.
• Leon McLeod. PC Leon McLeod was one of the first officers on the scene at the London Bridge terror attacks on 3 June 2017. Leon was left struggling with anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, but ran the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon for PTSD999 and raised more than £9,000.
• Scott Mitchell. He inspired several members of the EastEnders cast to run the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon and helped raise a record-breaking £4 million for dementia research. Scott’s wife, the late Dame Barbara Windsor, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014.
• The Ever Presents. They are 10 runners who have participated in every London Marathon since the first edition in 1981. They are Ken Jones, Jeffrey Aston, Roger Low, Terry Macey, Malcolm Speake, Bill O’Connor, David Walker, Michael Peace, Charles Cousens and Chris Finill.

• Deo Kato. Ugandan-born trail and ultra-runner based in London, ran the London Marathon for the Running For Justice project, which began in June 2020 following the murder of George Floyd in the US city of Minneapolis. Deo committed to running a minimum of 10K a day for 381 days, inspired by the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, when African Americans in Alabama staged a civil rights protest for 381 days. Deo finished his run streak in June 2021 before taking on 26.2 miles at the London Marathon to continue raising awareness of social and racial injustice.
• Elliott Brock and Vicky Lawrence. Thirteen years after soon-to-be father-of-three Elliott donated bone marrow that saved medical student Vicky’s life, the pair ran the 2021 London Marathon side-by-side for the Anthony Nolan blood cancer charity.
• Gina Little. Londoner Gina lives on the London Marathon route in Greenwich and spent many years cheering participants on from her home before being inspired to run for the first time in 1983. Since then, Gina has completed 36 London Marathons – the most by a woman – and a staggering total of 590 marathons in 46 countries. In 2021, she finished third in the 75 to 79 age category at the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships.
• Haroon Mota. He completed four marathons throughout 2021 raising money for the charity Penny Appeal, where he worked as Head of Challenge Events. He ran the London Marathon as part of a mission to raise £50,000 for an appeal to increase awareness and aid for those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in Palestine.
• Laura Hughes. She ran the 2021 London Marathon in memory of her brother, Colin McGinty, who was a victim of a knife attack and died from his injuries in March 2001. Since then, Laura has campaigned for improved education for young people on the lasting impacts of knife crime and the dangers of carrying knives and other weapons.

• Team Kerr. David, Sandra and Aaron – a father, mother and son from Northern Ireland who took part in the 2022 TCS London Marathon, with Aaron one of the first assisted wheelchair participants to complete the event. The Kerrs worked with London Marathon Events to help review changes to the rules so that wheelchair users who require help from others, like Aaron, could take part.
• Jeremy Joseph who completed his twelfth London Marathon in October 2022 and has raised an incredible £792,500 for various charities over the course of his London Marathon running career. He is the owner of G-A-Y and Heaven nightclubs in London and in 2022 worked with the team at London Marathon Events (LME) to plan Rainbow Row – an initiative that transforms a stretch of the world-famous London Marathon route, just past the 21-mile mark, into a carnival atmosphere celebrating the vibrancy and inclusivity of the LGBTQIA+ community.
• Anoosheh Ashoori. An Iranian-British dual national who was arrested in Iran in August 2017 wrongfully accused of spying and sentenced to 12 years in jail in 2019, ran the TCS London Marathon for the first time in October 2022. Anoosheh was released from prison in March 2022 and spoke afterwards about how the dream of one day running the London Marathon had kept him motivated throughout the four-and-a-half years he spent in prison. He used the few hours of exercise he was allowed each week to train and keep himself fit, both physically and mentally.

• Adele Roberts. Best known as a broadcaster, reality TV personality and DJ, having spent 11 years hosting shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. She made her first TV appearance on Big Brother in 2002, followed by I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2019, and most recently this year on Dancing on Ice, where she finished in third place. Adele announced that she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer on her Radio 1 breakfast show in October 2021 and began her treatment the same month. In January 2022, Adele shared that a tumour had been removed, following chemotherapy and a stoma, before announcing that she had been given the all-clear and was cancer-free in June 2022. A keen runner, Adele has completed three  London Marathons, running for charities including Heads Together and the Attitude Magazine Foundation. In 2023, less than a year after becoming cancer-free, she became the fastest woman to run the London Marathon with a stoma bag, finishing the race in 3:30:22, and achieving a Guinness World Record.
• Tom Durnin. The final official finisher of the 2023 TCS London Marathon, coming across the Finish Line on The Mall in a time of 8:10:58. The result came just months after he was involved in a car crash in December 2022, leaving him with a broken arm and a bleed on the brain, but he still managed to fight his way through the 26.2-mile course. Tom said he couldn’t do any training after his accident until March but was determined to finish the TCS London Marathon in support of his chosen charity Freddie’s Future, part of the Bone Cancer Research Trust. Remarkably, the furthest Tom had run before Marathon Day was 10K, and he even got confused on the way round thinking that the Finish Line was coming up at the 24-mile mark, only to plough on and complete the final two miles.

Lloyd Martin (age 20, from Cardiff) 

Lloyd’s running journey began at age 13 in his native Cardiff, where he took part in the weekly local parkrun alongside his family. After he was born with a hole in his heart, and diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, some doctors warned Lloyd’s parents that he may never be able to walk. 

However, Lloyd has since become an accomplished gymnast with Special Olympics GB, winning a gymnastics vault gold medal at the British Disability Championships in 2023.  

Once Lloyd decided to enter the 2024 TCS London Marathon via Special Olympics GB, his mother, Ceri Hooper, a former Welsh cross-country runner and veteran of four London Marathons, created a bespoke five-month training programme to prepare Lloyd for his first full marathon.  

He eventually made history at the 2024 TCS London Marathon by becoming the youngest person ever with Down’s syndrome to run a full marathon in the intellectual impairment category (II2). Lloyd finished with a time of 6:46:10, with Ceri accompanying him along the 26.2-mile course. 

Ceri was overjoyed at hearing Lloyd had become the latest winner of the Spirit of the London Marathon Award and reflected on how remarkable his journey has been up to this point. 

She said: “Looking at the list of previous winners, it’s a huge honour to see Lloyd’s name amongst such amazingly inspirational people. This started as a personal goal for Lloyd - to see if he could run a marathon, and for me to see if I could help him to achieve his dream. We could never have imagined that his marathon journey would have inspired so many. 

“Lloyd is the first to encourage everyone to follow their dreams and with a little help and support he believes anything can be achieved. 

“The London Marathon has always been a huge event for our family, I couldn’t be prouder that Lloyd has completed it, and with a Guinness World Record too.” 

Lloyd will be taking part in the TCS London Marathon once again this month, as will his cousin Ciaran Lewis, who will be a part of the Championship race. 

Anthony Bryan (age 35, from London) 

Anthony’s life changed forever at age six, when he suffered a stroke while undergoing surgery for a life-threatening brain tumour.  He was left paralysed on the left side of his body, and doctors told Anthony’s family that he might never walk again.  

Intensive physiotherapy sessions allowed Anthony to learn to walk again, and once he turned 18, he decided to start training as a track athlete. He won two gold medals in the 800m and 1,500m events at the 2015 Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association (CPISRA) World Games.  

Anthony soon started participating in 5k and 10k events before deciding to enter the TCS London Marathon last year, in the hope of breaking a Guinness World Record. Anthony, alongside his support runner Tyler Slade, completed the Course in a time of 5:49:04, setting a new world record at the time for the fastest marathon by a male with hemiplegia. 

Anthony hopes that receiving this award will inspire others who have suffered strokes to never give up hope, after he managed to defy the initial prognosis given by his doctors. 

He said: “It is an absolute honour to be named as a winner of the Spirit of the London Marathon Award. Ever since doctors told my parents that I would never run or be very active again, I made it my mission to prove those doctors wrong.  

“My main aim last year was simply just to complete the London Marathon, while helping raise money for the Stroke Association and inspire other stroke survivors to never give up. So, to not only complete the London Marathon, but break a Guinness World Record in the process, and now to be named the Spirit of the London Marathon Award winner is just incredible. I hope my story and journey can inspire many others to do the same and never give up.”  

Milly Pickles (age 28, from London)  

At 20 years old, Milly was a university student when she suffered a life-threatening electrocution due to an accident. 36 per cent of her body was burnt, and she spent two and a half months in hospital, where half of her right leg was amputated before she returned home.  

Milly eventually taught herself how to walk again with her prosthetic leg and rediscovered her love for sport three years after her accident. She began sharing her story through social media and has gained a huge following, and last summer, she was selected as a presenter for part of the UK coverage of the Paralympic Games. 

She set her sights on last year’s TCS London Marathon and despite struggling with severe bleeding on her left foot, Milly made it to the Finish Line to complete her first-ever marathon, just over six years after her accident. 

She said: “Winning the Spirit of the London Marathon Award means the world to me. That event wasn’t just about the physical challenge – it was about proving to myself and others that limits are often just perceptions. As a below-knee amputee, crossing that Finish Line was a symbol of everything I’ve overcome since my accident. To now receive recognition for that journey feels incredibly special. 

“More than anything, I hope this award shows others living with a disability that there is life after trauma – not just life, but a powerful, joyful, meaningful one. I want people to know that you are not defined by what happened to you or by what you’ve lost. You are defined by your mindset, heart, and how you choose to show up every day. If this award sparks even one person to believe in themselves a bit more, then it’s done exactly what I’d hoped.” 

Nathaniel Dye MBE (age 38, from London) 

Nathaniel was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in September 2022. The devastating news was compounded by the fact Nathaniel’s mother had also passed away from bowel cancer three years prior.  

Since his diagnosis, Nathaniel has participated in many intense physical challenges to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, including the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc, a 171km trail running race, regarded as one of the world’s most difficult. 

Nathaniel has raised over £37,000 for charity over the past several years, and last year, he completed the TCS London Marathon in five hours and 49 minutes, all while playing a green trombone. He was awarded an MBE for his campaigning work in cancer awareness at the end of last year. 

Nathaniel hopes that this award can encourage many others to continue pushing on through difficult challenges that they encounter in life.   

He said: “I am absolutely delighted to receive a Spirit of the London Marathon Award.  To receive the same award as heroic runners like Adele Roberts (not to mention her stoma Audrey – mine’s called Homer!) is a real honour. 

“I did last year’s London Marathon following a three-month block of chemotherapy. I left The Mall proud that day, not only with a Finisher’s medal, but also filled with gratitude that my broken body let me cross that Finish Line.  

“What really pushed me through was the encouragement from supporters and other runners all along the Route. I’ve lost count of the number of people who have expressed disbelief that I still had the ability to blast out a tune over 26.2-miles. How did I do it? I just kept going. It is as simple as that. And this is what I hope people will take away from seeing me receive this most special award. I’m living proof that it’s possible to live a full life, even with a terminal diagnosis, and if I can keep going right until I run out of road, so can you.”