NOVEMBER | FEATURE
“ We had some unbelievable contingencies . One of them was to have 17 simultaneous events around Britain on the same day with 4,000 people running at each of them . We had members of the team working on that , talking to venues with NDAs in place . We tracked the Covid-19 data , looked at what was going on around the world , and worked closely with the Government . We only jettisoned that option completely on 22 August .
The 2020 Virgin Money London Marathon elite men ’ s race was won by Shura Kitata , while the elite women ’ s race winner was Brigid Kosgei .
While many enjoy watching the endeavours of the elite athletes , it is the mass participation element that has captured the public ’ s imagination since the event was launched in 1981 by Hugh ’ s father , Chris Brasher , and John Disley . One of their initial aims was to raise money for public sport and recreational facilities . In the years since its inception the marathon has raised more than £ 1 billion for charities .
Let ’ s get digital “ The London Marathon was founded in the Dysart Arms by my old man and the Ranelagh Harriers running club ,” says Brasher . “ This year ’ s event involved people in 198 countries around the world . The virtual aspect fits in 100 % with the ethos of what my father and John Disley envisaged at the start . One of the founding pillars was to provide some fun and a sense of achievement in a troubled world .”
Born out of the pandemic , Brasher says the opportunity to run the London Marathon remotely will continue to evolve in the years ahead and it is very much his intention to make it a permanent aspect of the event .
He says : “ Why would we limit ourselves to the roads of London ? It extends the brand further , and it creates an incredible community spirit . It is another avenue to engage more people and inspire them to be active .
“ Soon you will be able to do the London Marathon on treadmills and we are not far away from being able to do the event running against someone you are watching on your glasses .”
He is referring to a recent partnership with iFIT , a provider of connected fitness software and equipment . Its interactive technology adjusts the settings of treadmills to match the natural topography of the marathon course .
The London Marathon has also entered into a six-year naming rights deal with Tata Consultancy Services , which will run from 2022 onwards . The IT services , consulting and business solutions organisation has been the technology partner since 2016 . It developed the 2019 event app , and in 2020 updated the app to support people taking part virtually .
“ There are some fantastic initiatives in terms of inspiring activity with all ages and you will see those through the next three to five years ,” says Brasher .
“ We had some unbelievable contingencies One of them was to have 17 simultaneous events around Britain on the same day ”
“ There ’ s one initiative I am particularly excited about , but not prepared to talk about it just yet .” An initiative he is willing to talk about is the hugely successful launch of the Mini London Marathon , which invited primary schools across the country to take part in the race by running or walking 2.6 miles between 28 September and 9 October .
“ We got half a million school kids
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