London Marathon 2020: Runners raise £16.1m for charity

Runners who took part in this year's London Marathon have raised £16.1m for charity.

About 45,000 people from across the UK and 109 countries worldwide ran the 26.2 mile course in their own way.

The amount raised so far is a 75% drop on last year which saw a record-breaking £66.4m raised.

The race, which normally takes runners past landmarks including Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace, had to change its format because of Covid-19.

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The male elite runners kicked off the marathon

While more than 100 elite runners went through central London, everyone else took to their local streets.

The elite runners completed 19.6 laps of a new course through the city, ending at the traditional finish line on The Mall.

Sally Orange, 2016 Invictus Games Orlando medallist and Guinness World Record holder, completed the marathon on a treadmill inside a London Eye pod

Gill Silverthorn ran her marathon in Cornwall in a 10kg costume to raise money for Save the Rhino

Gross donations to the Virgin Money Giving platform were down £25m between March and April this year compared with the same period in 2019.

Mencap, which supports people with learning disabilities, was the marathon's charity of the year with more than 312 runners including 10 with learning disabilities. They raised £710,000.

Aaron Plummer, 20, who has cerebral palsy and a learning disability, completed the race in Walthamstow, north-east London, to "give back to the greatest charity ever", after he secured his dream job in hospitality at Novotel with the help of Mencap's internship programme.

He was supported by celebrity trainer Joe Wicks, BBC DJ Joe Whiley and footballers including Arsenal's David Luiz, while raising more than £23,000 through the race - which he completed in two halves over five hours and nine minutes.

Aaron Plummer completed the marathon for Mencap charity

Mencap chief executive Edel Harris said: "The money raised by all our runners will make a huge difference to the lives of people with a learning disability, particularly as we support them through the difficult circumstances they are facing this year."

She continued: "The coronavirus crisis has exacerbated these difficulties, which is why the astounding amount of money raised through our charity of the year partnership with Virgin Money is more needed than ever."