First held in 1986, the Mini London Marathon is one of the most prestigious youth events in the country. It has seen some of the cream of British athletes come through the system and go on to make their mark on the world stage.

Notable past winners include Sir Mo Farah, David Weir, Charlotte Purdue, Ciara Mageean and Jess Judd, as well as victors who have gone on to achieve great things in other sports such as Non Stanford, a former world triathlon champion, and Jamal Lewis, a Premier League footballer and Northern Ireland international.

But not all future stars were among the leading finishers at the Mini London Marathon. Laura Muir was 26th in the U17 women’s category in 2010 and Keely Hodgkinson was 42nd in the 2017 U17 women’s race. Others who have raced the Mini London Marathon but not made the podium include recent medallists at major championships such as Jake Wightman, Eilish McColgan and Josh Kerr.
Below, three successful sportspeople talk about their Mini London Marathon experiences.

Ciara Mageean, from County Down, Northern Ireland, ran the Mini London Marathon three times and won the U17 women’s race in 2009. She has gone on to win silver and bronze medals in the 1500m at the 2016 and 2022 European Championships, plus a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Ciara said: “It was actually winning the Mini London Marathon in 2009 that made me think I should start taking my running seriously. 

“I remember coming over for my first Mini London Marathon and not really knowing what to expect. Heading over to London was a big deal though. I can remember my mum packing my bag and putting in so many cereal bars that there were enough for the whole team!

“It was probably my first experience of running in front of that many people. I’ve still got all the souvenirs from the three years I took part – but it was that first year that I remember being particularly awe-struck.

“There was just so much to take in. I can remember just receiving my first Northern Ireland Mini London Marathon T-shirt was inspiring in itself – I’ve still got that somewhere. I can remember the huge Start Line, the stampede once the race got underway and just being swept along by the thrill and excitement of it all.

“In my first year I didn’t know anyone apart from the other Irish girls, but as I came back for a second and third time I started to know the names of the other girls and who to look out for. 

“Steph Twell was my bighest inspiration – she won my race in 2007. The following year she won the 1500m at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz and I was 10th. I really looked up to her. It was the Mini London Marathon that enabled me to get to know Steph and the other girls better and appreciate the sharpness of competition. Before that, my tactic was just to run as hard as I could until I fell over!

“I really didn’t expect to win in 2009 because I knew there were some very good British girls in the field. But I had a plan to go out as hard as I could and see what happened.

“It is always special to represent Northern Ireland too. I’m normally running for Ireland – which I love and am very proud to do – but I'm also very proud to represent Northern Ireland and it was always great running with the girls from Ulster at the Mini London Marathon. 

“I have stayed in touch with a lot of them and you really do make friends for life. A lot of them are still running. Maybe they haven't been as lucky as me in having a career in the sport, but they are still running and still enjoying the sport which is great.”

Jake Wightman represented Scotland at the 2008 and 2009 Mini London Marathon, with a best-placed finish of 21st in the U15 boys race in 2009. Since then, he has progressed to become one of the world’s best middle distance runners. He has silver and bronze medals from European Championships for 800m (2022) and 1500m (2018) and two bronze medals in the 1500m from the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games. But his biggest success to date is winning the 1500m title at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, USA.

Jake said: “I did the Mini London Marathon twice in the middle age group (U15). At that age, I was not very grown up and I was just swallowed up. But that was as good as I could have run on each day and that’s what’s important – just being involved.

“My advice to anyone running the Mini London Marathon is to just enjoy it. You don’t get too many opportunities to run in events like the Mini London Marathon and it doesn’t matter where you finish. 

“For me, the Mini London Marathon was the highlight of my junior career because it is such a different event. I never used to do any track until I was 17 and it was mainly cross-country for me when I was younger – and this was much different to that!

“We used to go down to London for the Mini London Marathon and not have a clue who anyone was. We were a bit sheltered. For us to come as far south as London and be part of an event like that was awesome. It was a proper occasion and a great race.

“I can remember the races being typical races for that age. Everyone went off so hard and I would have been with the masses. I can remember the atmosphere being special, going past some of the drumming bands and then finishing in front of the crowds on The Mall. I was lucky because I could then stay on with my parents after my race and watch the London Marathon itself, as dad (Geoff Wightman) was announcing.”