Traditionally, our London Marathon participants are asked to pledge to collect £1,500 in fundraising, which makes a real difference to Iolanthe. As you'll see at our 2025 Iolanthe JustGiving page, our amazing 2025 Team went above and beyond, raising £13,179 to support the UK's midwives and student midwives and the families they care for!
We're now gearing up for London Marathon 2026 for which applications to run have closed. After the 2026 London Marathon has been run the 2027 ballot opens. We advise anyone that is interested in running for us at that time, to apply to the ballot and also via our page with our marathon partner CRunCH, the Charity Runners Clearing House. as well as to contact us at that time. We have 4 bonded places in the 2027 marathon and will be making our decision on allocation of places in late June/July 2026.
A marathon can be a rollercoaster of emotions, both during training and on race day. This makes the feeling of success when you reach the finish line like nothing you’ve experienced before. It's a chance to prove to yourself you can tackle anything if you put your mind to it! Previous Iolanthe participants say that running for something that's 'bigger than you' makes your training even more meaningful. In the words of 2019 Iolanthe London Marathon runner, Ann Stapleton,
To do this whilst giving something back is worth the 5am training starts. Midwives do an absolutely fantastic job in a difficult profession. Let's support them as much as we can.
Alongside personal reward, Iolanthe runners have the satisfaction of knowing their achievement improves maternal experiences and outcomes for babies and their families, when they most need it. You can read more about the Marathon experience from our 2023 and 2024 teams, as well as interviews with Louis and Joanne who ran for Iolanthe in 2025.
