Children and young people across the UK are experiencing their own version of marathon fever this week by being part of the biggest-ever TCS Mini London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon in schools.
While Sunday’s (21 April) TCS London Marathon may be the focus for thousands of adults preparing for the iconic 26.2 miles, the minds of more than 10,000 children will be set on completing a distance of either one mile or 2.6K one day earlier at the TCS Mini London Marathon on Saturday (20 April).
Now in its third year as a stand-alone event, the TCS Mini London Marathon is held around St James’s Park and shares the same world-famous Finish Line on The Mall as the TCS London Marathon.
The event begins at 09:00 with championship races for the best young athletes from across the UK, all emulating the likes of Sir Mo Farah, Keely Hodgkinson and David Weir who have all taken part in the event in the past.
This is followed by a series of mass participation one-mile and 2.6K waves for children and young people aged between four and 17 from schools across the country.
As part of a commitment to inspire future generations of runners and to encourage participation, every participant aged 17 or under who finishes the 2024 TCS Mini London Marathon will earn £10 from title partner Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for their school to spend on PE or IT equipment. Schools have used the donations to purchase new PE equipment for a range of sports including basketball, football, and gymnastics.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands more pupils around the UK are taking part in the free-to-enter TCS Mini London Marathon in schools challenge where children and young people run, jog, walk or wheel 2.6 miles in their school setting. The challenge started yesterday (Monday 15 April) and runs until Friday 10 May with more than 350,000 children already registered to take part.
Children taking part are given their own downloadable TCS Mini London Marathon running bibs and certificates for taking part with the schools also given a Finish Line tape to make the experience even more fun.
To celebrate the transformational impact of educators in the lives of their students, TCS has awarded a select group of teachers with the opportunity to run the 2024 TCS London Marathon as part of its Team TCS Teachers programme. Teachers encourage students in their respective schools to get active and inspire them to run, jog, walk, or wheel, by taking part in the TCS Mini London Marathon in schools.
Additionally, in an exciting new partnership for 2024, WWF-UK (the World Wide Fund for Nature) has become the inaugural charity partner of both the TCS Mini London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon in schools.
The partnership will see WWF-UK work alongside London Marathon Events (organisers of the TCS Mini London Marathon) to encourage more children and young people to be physically active while inspiring and equipping the next generation to be responsible stewards of our world.
To mark the partnership, WWF celebrity supporter Joe Wicks (aka The Body Coach) will be on site on The Mall at Saturday’s TCS Mini London Marathon to act as a starter, hand out medals to finishers and even take children through some of his famous warm-ups.
The WWF team will also be on site in Horse Guards Parade, and visitors can pop by their stand to find out more about their work. There will be lots of fun and games for children to get involved in.
Ben Cooper, TCS Mini London Marathon Event Lead, said: “The TCS Mini London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon in schools is growing every year which, crucially, means we are inspiring more and more children and young people to be active. Some children might be taking part in organised activity for the very first time while others might be more experienced, but our aim is the same for all; we want to put smiles on faces, make activity fun and encourage more children to make it part of their daily routine.”
Ramkumar Chandrasekaran, HR Director, UK and Ireland at TCS, said: “As the title partner of the TCS Mini London Marathon we are committed to working with LME to make the event an enjoyable and inspiring experience year after year. This partnership underscores our shared belief in the power of sports and technology to transform and empower young minds. At TCS, we are committed to inspiring the next generation of runners, encouraging them to embrace a lifestyle that champions physical fitness and personal growth. We are looking forward to the biggest ever TCS Mini London Marathon as more than 10,000 children will take on the streets of London, inspired to reach for their dreams and embody the values of perseverance and excellence.”
Holly McKinlay, Director of Communications and Brand at WWF-UK, said: “We are so excited to join forces this month with the TCS Mini London Marathon and to be supported by the brilliant Joe Wicks too. It is so important that young people are able to get outside and be in nature, for both their wellbeing and to inspire them to look after our planet. The Mini Marathon is such a fantastic opportunity to do so while supporting WWF’s mission to bring our world back to life.”
The TCS Mini London Marathon on Saturday 20 April is fully subscribed. However, schools can still be part of the TCS Mini London Marathon in schools which started yesterday (Monday 15 April) and can be held any time until Friday 10 May. To enter and find out more head here.