Key Facts

• More than 1.1 million people have applied to participate in the 2026 London Marathon, breaking the previous record of 840,318 applications from last year.
• Over 90,000 people took part in the London and Manchester marathons last Sunday, marking the biggest day of marathon running in the UK ever.
• Statistics show a growth in running aimed by women in the UK.
• The UK's favorite running distance is 10km and there are running events all over the country.
• Parkrun, a weekly running event, now sees 450,000 participants each week, showing an increase in active engagement in running across the UK.
• Running clubs, created for younger generations who have a focus on fitness, are emerging throughout the country.
• More than 2,000 people, up from just 97 a decade ago, have completed the six prestigious marathons.
• In the 1975 London Marathon, 4% of the participants were women; in this year's event, that number rose to 45%.
• The female-focused running club, These Girls Run, has nine locations across the UK with increasing attendance numbers.
• Parkrun has over 2,500 events globally with an average of 450,000 participants each week.
• The most popular distances for running in England are the 10km, followed by half marathons and ultramarathons, which are longer than the traditional marathon distance of 26.2 miles.