Described as one of the greatest marathon races in the world, the London Marathon is one of the key highlights in the world of European sports year round. Whether you’re into running or not, the chances are at some point you would have either watched the race on TV or perhaps braved the crowds to watch it in person.
The first London Marathon took place in 1981 and since then it has been a Guinness World Record breaker in its own right as the largest single annual fundraising event in the world. Elite athletes and amateur runners, young and old from around the world, gather every year in April to compete and help raise funds for the charities of their choice – In 2019 runners raised a record-breaking £66.4 million for charities, like Alzheimer’s Research UK, Mind, The British Heart Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Trust and many others.
Attracting 42,000 participants this year, the race took place last Sunday 2 October 2022, having been postponed from April to maximise the chances of a mass participation event. Like many sporting events, London Marathon was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Despite the challenges, the organisers of the race, London Marathon Events, have continued to create an amazing experience for runners and supporters, keeping the spirit of the event at the centre of their content planning efforts. With powerful storytelling to drive awareness of the event, in the build-up to the race, they shared inspirational and impactful content that showcased the extraordinary stories of their participants, champions, volunteers and supporters.
In the interest of making the event more inclusive and to encourage more people to take part, this year participants were given the option to run the race virtually or in person. The overarching theme of this initiative was Do it Your Way!, with emotive storytelling content shared across their digital channels, to show participants that they could complete 26.2 miles however and wherever they wished – enabling them to earn the same finisher’s medal and souvenir T-shirt as participants in the mass event in London.
The race may be over now, but with Yalemzerf Yehualaw from Ethopia becoming the youngest woman ever to win the London Marathon, her inspirational story is one the organisers will be able to share for many years to come.
Take a look at some of the best social media moments from the London Marathon this year:
Some of the best runners in the are arriving in the ahead of Sunday’s TCS London Marathon…#LondonMarathon #WeRunTogether pic.twitter.com/uxDU4WFOH8
— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) September 29, 2022
Using the #WeRunTogether hashtag, the organisers of TCS London Marathon used emotion to connect with runners by sharing moments of encouragement in preparation for the race.
As one of the official sponsors of the race, New Balance featured regularly on their social media feeds with the tagline ‘This is your Race’. Their message to runners about the race is: “It’s more than just a run, it’s all our individual races with ourselves. It’s a reason to stay healthy, it’s time and space to think, it’s overcoming adversity, exploring your city and building community.”
To support their message about diversity and inclusion, which is at the heart of the race, the organisers of London Marathon used the race as an opportunity to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community. A section of the marathon, dubbed the “Rainbow Row,” is a 250-metre stretch of the marathon’s route located just past the 21-mile mark on the course.
Your Way. The virtual London Marathon allowed everyone the freedom to take on the distance. Participants were able to walk, jog or run to complete the 26.2 miles on a route of their choosing. All finishers received the coveted T-Shirt and Medal, what an amazing opportunity!
Did you get the chance to watch the race? If you caught any other amazing social media moments from the London Marathon, tag us on Twitter or Instagram (@psforbrands) and let us know!
