Run for charity at the London Marathon 2026

London 26th Apr

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The 2026 London Marathon ballot is open from 25 April to 2 May! Enter now and select Action for Children to join the team.

By choosing Action for Children as your London Marathon charity, you'll be helping us make a difference to the lives of vulnerable children all across the UK. Once you know you've secured your ballot place, join team Action for Children and help us make a difference!

Apply for a charity place

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Why run for our children's charity?

Running for Action for Children means you can help us reach the children and families who need us most. With 372 services across the UK, we're there everyday putting food in the fridge, topping up the gas metre, or making a home for children in care.

Thanks to people like you, our frontline staff can keep working hard to ensure safe and happy childhoods across the UK.

It’s been such an incredible journey fundraising for Action for Children. I'm really looking forward to enjoying all the sights along the route and celebrating with my family at the finish line.
Alicia, who ran the 2024 London Marathon for Action for Children

What you'll receive:

By running for our charity, you'll also receive these fantastic benefits:

Massage, food, shower, and professional photos at our post-race party!
Free Action for Children branded running vest to wear on the day.
Tailored training guides and tips from our professional running coach.
Support from our dedicated events team to help you smash your fundraising target.
Digital support pack with fundraising ideas and materials.
And lots of cheers! Be cheered on by our amazing and loud cheer squad to keep you going to the finish line. Look for us at miles 19 and 25!

Apply for a charity place with Action for Children

Your details

Title

First name

Last name

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

Town/City

Country

Postcode

Mobile number

Date of birth

Vest/t-shirt size

Stay in touch

As a valued supporter, we would love to send you regular updates about our work – including heartfelt stories, exciting events, and information about how you can continue to support vulnerable children and young people in the UK.

We may contact you by post, but we’d love to keep in touch in other ways too.

I’m happy for Action for Children to contact me by:

So I can choose when to read updates

SMS

So I can get updates straight to my mobile

Phone

So I can talk to a real person

You’re in control! Change your preferences online at any time, or by calling 0300 123 2112 or emailing [email protected]. For more information on how we keep your data safe and how we will contact you, please read our Privacy Policy at actionforchildren.org.uk/privacy.

Terms and conditions

Action for Children’s Gold Bond places for the TCS London Marathon are really valuable to us. They are very limited and expensive therefore we want to make sure that every runner we give a place can maximise the value of their place.

By accepting an Action for Children’s Gold Bond place for the 2026 TCS London Marathon, and taking part in the event on Sunday 26 April 2026, you are agreeing to the following:

Committing to fundraising a minimum target of £2,500 for Action for Children (excluding Gift Aid and Matched Funding) by 20th July 2026.
Making a donation of £100 via the link provided on your acceptance email to secure your place no later than 14 days after your place has been accepted. This goes towards the cost of your Golden Bond place. If you drop out for any reason, your donation is non-refundable.
If you need to drop out, the sports events manager may allow your entry to be deferred for a maximum of 1 year. Multiple deferrals for consecutive years will not be allowed. Funds raised in the previous year may be carried over and included in the next year's fundraising total, but will not be refunded.
Letting us know ASAP if you have any doubt about your ability to take part in the London Marathon or your ability to meet the £2,500 fundraising target. If you let us know early (ideally by the end of January), we can help with fundraising support, or someone on our waiting list can take you place. If you let us know too late and we can’t fill your place, we will lose out on the money we have paid for your place and the £2,500 that we expected you to raise.
You must complete the event registration on the London Marathon console. You will receive an email prompting you to do this once you have paid your £100 entry donation and returned these signed T&Cs. If you haven’t received this email and you think you should have, please email [email protected] ASAP.
You must be available, or have someone available on your behalf, to collect your race number from the Excel Arena in London between Wednesday 22 April and Saturday 25 April 2026. Action for Children cannot do this on your behalf. Please make sure you take this into consideration when booking travel and accommodation for the race weekend.
Action for Children does not take responsibility for any health issues during your training for the London Marathon, or any incidents that occur on race day. If you have any health concerns prior to, or during, your training please consult with your doctor. Let us know immediately if you are unable to take part in the race.
All donated monies collected in support of Action for Children must be forwarded to the charity or returned to the individual sponsors if it transpires that you are unable to participate in the event for any reason. Monies already received by the charity will not be refunded.
When Action for Children establishes contact described as “urgent”, runners must respond via email/telephone/writing at their very earliest convenience. Failure to do so may result in your place being withdrawn.

Please check the box to confirm.

I accept the terms and conditions

Run for charity at the London Marathon 2026