2024 London Marathon FAQs

1.   I secured a charity place on Team Purple! How much do I need to raise and by when?

2.   Should I set up an online fundraising page?

3.   How can I encourage more donations on my fundraising page?

4.   How do I pay in cash donations and make sure they show on my fundraising page total?

5.   Other than asking people to sponsor me, what else can I do to help boost my fundraising?

6.   Do you have any fundraising materials that I can have for my fundraising events?

7.   What happens if I don’t reach the minimum sponsorship target?

8.   I have gained an injury or am no longer able to take part in the London Marathon, what should I do?

9.   What help do Epilepsy Society providing with my training for the London Marathon?

10.   When will I receive my Epilepsy Society running vest?

11.   What difference will my fundraising make to the Epilepsy Society? How can I learn more about the charity and where my donations will go?

12.   I’ve completed the online console, what else do I need to do to fully register for the event?

13.   Where can I find information about the London Marathon day itself?

14.   Where will Epilepsy Society be on race day? My friends and family would love to join your cheering point!

15.   Will there be an opportunity to meet some of the team at the end of the race?

If the question you're needing answered isn't listed here please contact our fundraising team by emailing fundraising@epilepsysociety.org.uk

We ask each of our charity place (golden bond) runners to raise a minimum of £2,000. We’d recommend you start fundraising as soon as you’re offered a place on Team Purple – but don’t expect you to have finished all your fundraising until approximately 6 weeks after the London Marathon.

We recommend that everyone breaks down their fundraising target into manageable chunks. To get you started, we expect you to raise £500 within the first 3 months after your place offer. When you hit that milestone, we’ll send you an Epilepsy Society running tech t-shirt for free!

Yes – online fundraising pages are the best way to tell people about the incredible challenge you’re taking on and keep track of your fundraising total.

We encourage all Team Purple runners to set up their fundraising page on Enthuse
(https://2024tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/fundraising/start?charityid=325300#!/).

This way, everything you raise will also be counted towards Epilepsy Society’s Team Fundraising total for the 2024 London Marathon. It’s also a fantastic fundraising platform.

To start with, we’d recommend personalising your fundraising page as much as possible. This includes adding a photo and updating the story section to explain your reason for running as part of Team Purple. Here’s our full list of ways you can boost the power of your fundraising page and the impact that can have on your fundraising total:
https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/Boost-your-fundraising-page-power.pdf

Once your page is up and running, don’t forget to regularly share updates on your training and fundraising. And whilst it’s an online fundraising page there’s something really powerful about talking to people in person about how much their support would mean to you and Epilepsy Society.

We know that you will likely collect cash donations as part of your London Marathon fundraising. You can list these as an offline donation on your Enthuse fundraising page: https://help.enthuse.com/en/articles/3582847-add-an-offline-donation-to-your-personal-fundraising-page

Then use our online donation form (www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/donate) to pay them in to us, so that we can start using them to transform lives.

If you need to donate over £500 in cash donations then please get in touch and ask for our bank details for a BACs transfer.

Fundraisers will rarely reach the £2,000 fundraising target through just asking for donations alone. We have tried and tested ways to fundraise, that can be great fun and make a meaningful contribution towards your total!

· Host an event! Quiz nights, curry nights, pamper evenings all work well

· Hold an online raffle

· Ask your workplace about matched funding (some companies will donate towards your fundraising or match what your raise!)

Yes, we have banners, balloons , information leaflets and posters.

We don’t expect you to have finished all your fundraising until approximately 6 weeks after the London Marathon and we are on hand to provide all the support you need to reach your target.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any concerns about your fundraising.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you are no longer able to take part the London Marathon. We have a waiting list of applicants that we can offer your place to if it is no longer needed. Registration fees are non-refundable but, when possible, we will look to defer your participation in the event to a future year.

We do all we can to support you all the way to the finish line, including with your training! We have an Epilepsy Society Running Hub (available in an app) which includes training plans, weekly guides and an extensive video library. The video library is a great resource for you to search for advice and tips on topics that are relevant to you – such as nutrition, exercises for dealing with an injury and more.

In early 2024 we will also be hosting a training webinar with Graeme Hilditch, GH Training, who writes all of our training resources. This is a virtual session and great way to meet your teammates, find out how best to prepare for what’s ahead and ask any burning questions you have!

We will send your Epilepsy Society running vest 6 weeks before London Marathon – this will give you the opportunity to try it on and check it is comfortable for race day.

At this point we will also send you letters to iron onto your vest. Having your name on your vest helps us spot you and allows the crowd to really cheer you on along the route! We can’t tell you what a difference it will make to your race experience.

Epilepsy Society is the UKs only charity transforming the lives of people with epilepsy through advocacy, research and care. Our work is only made possible thanks to the generosity of supporters like you.

Cutting edge research
Our research is driven by the desire to understand what has caused the epilepsy in each individual person, to be able to identify the best therapy from the outset, and to make this expertise widely available.
 

Epilepsy Support
Our confidential epilepsy helpline and online information give help and support to people who are affected by epilepsy

Epilepsy Society's confidential helpline is available for anyone affected by epilepsy. We welcome calls from people with epilepsy, their families and friends, as well as professionals such as doctors, nurses, care workers, teachers and employers.
 

Advocacy
We are a voice for people with epilepsy, striving to push epilepsy up the political agenda and bring about change at government level.

Our campaigns team lobby government and decision-makers on the issues that matter to people with epilepsy. From safer medicines for pregnant women to the dangers of online

£5 Could help distribute tailored information about epilepsy, ensuring people affected by epilepsy can receive their first five leaflets for free

£20 Could ensure that someone who desperately needs to talk about their epilepsy can call Epilepsy Society's helpline

£50 Could help forward Epilepsy Society's world-leading research projects, leading to more accurate, personalised treatment

£100 Could help our research team to analyse genomics data, which will lead to better seizure control.

All London Marathon runners are required to register in person for the London Marathon at the London Marathon Running Show. The Running Show takes place at the ExCeL Centre in London from the Wednesday to the Saturday before the London Marathon.

You will need to take your registration form (this will be sent to you from London Marathon Events prior to the event) to register in person and collect your race number and chip. If you are unable to attend, you can nominate someone to collect and register you on your behalf.

Once you have completed the online console, you’ll start receiving regular emails from the race organisers (London Marathon Events). The most important information you’ll receive from them is the final instructions document which is sent in the final month before the London Marathon. This document includes everything you need to know about race day.

At Epilepsy Society, we’ll also be prompting you and giving you race updates through our regular emails ‘supporting you to the finish line’.

Epilepsy Society plan to have two cheering points along the route – one at mile 9 (Canada Water) and the other at mile 25 (Embankment). We would love friends and family to join us at these cheering points, and it can make it much easier for you to spot your supporters along the route!

Yes! We plan to have a meet and greet point in St. James’ Park close to finish. More details will be provided closer to the date, but we hope to see as many of you there as possible.