Team Lily raises £125,000 at the London Marathon! - The Lily Foundation
The Lily Foundation logo featuring a butterfly, hearts and an 'x' for a kiss

Fighting mito,
finding hope.

Team Lily raises £125,000 at the London Marathon!

Events Fundraising

30 April 2025

Huge congratulations to our 36 incredible Lily runners who took on Sunday’s London Marathon and raised an astonishing £125,000 to help fight mitochondrial disease. Every single one crossed the finish line – and with the unseasonably hot weather, that was no small feat. You did yourselves, and the mito community, proud!

A lady in a Lily vest kissing the air at the London Marathon A lady running the London Marathon and laughing with spectators on the sidelines A Lily Foundation runner proudly holds his London Marathon medal up Lily runner Rich raising his hands at the London Marathon A runner at this year's London Marathon wearing a Lily top A group of Lily Foundation runners and supporters gathered around a table in a pub A Lily Foundation London Marathon runner with his hands in the air A Lily runner engaging with the cheer squad at the London Marathon A Lily Foundation runner and family standing together after the London Marathon A Lily runner waving and running towards the finish line at the London Marathon Lily runner George proudly holding his medal and a pint after the London Marathon A Lily banner flying high at the London Marathon A Lily runner at the London Marathon waving to spectators

Racing for reasons close to the heart

So many of our runners were driven by powerful personal stories. Some ran in memory of lost sons, brothers, nieces and cousins; others, like the relatives of our trustee Claire Gore, ran to honour those still fighting. Minnie ran for Lily in tribute to her mum, Abby – a former trustee of our charity who sadly passed away from cancer two years ago – while one incredible supporter even travelled all the way from the USA to represent us.

Many participants in the marathon are looking for a quick time, and we had five Lily runners finishing in under four hours, which is a huge achievement. Our fastest finisher was Chay Garside, running for Team Ivy, who clocked an incredible 3 hours 17 minutes.

But the most powerful reminder of what this challenge is really about came from Kai-Ann, whose daughter Remi lives with mitochondrial disease. A self-confessed non-runner, Kai-Ann crossed the line in 8 hours and 18 minutes – a true demonstration of how far courage and determination can take you.

As the runners battled the heat, our legendary cheer squads made just as much noise as ever, basking in the glorious sunshine and lifting spirits every mile of the way.

Support beyond the finish line

And after the race, runners and supporters alike gathered at The Horse & Groom in Belgravia to celebrate. Huge thanks to Afrim and his team at the pub for their warm welcome, and to Fiona and Debbie for providing post-race massages to soothe those tired legs!

Despite the tough conditions, everyone was filled with positivity as they reflected on their incredible achievement. Runner Joe said after the race: “A massive thank you to The Lily Foundation for letting us all represent this amazing charity. I hope the money each of us has raised can help the charity take one more huge step in achieving its goals. It has been a pleasure and a privilege.”

“Amazing experience and proud to run for The Lily Foundation,” said Daniel, while Tim thanked everyone for “making me feel so welcome and supported.”

“Seeing the cheer squads really pushed me on,” reflected Katie, while George was grateful for the support, the cheers and, of course, the beers!

You’ve helped us make a difference

The London Marathon remains the world’s largest one-day fundraising event, and once again our incredible Lily team rose to the occasion. We were especially proud to learn that we ranked in the top 5% of charities on JustGiving for funds raised at this year’s event – a remarkable achievement and a true reflection of the dedication and courage of our rare disease community.

A special shoutout goes to Joe and Leo, who each clocked up over £12,000 via JustGiving – an outstanding achievement! Every single penny raised by our amazing runners will go directly towards supporting families living with mitochondrial disease and funding the vital research needed to find effective treatments and a cure. Thank you all – your efforts make a real difference.

Inspired? Join us in 2026!

Feeling inspired by our runners? The public ballot for the 2026 London Marathon is now open – but it closes on Friday 2nd May, so be quick!

Or, if you’d like to apply for one of our Lily Foundation charity places, we’d love to have you on board. However you secure your spot, as part of Team Lily you won’t be running alone.