​London Marathon raises £250m in last five years

Runners taking part in the London Marathon have raised over a quarter of a billion pounds over the last five years it has been revealed.

Sponsor Virgin Money said it had "smashed right through" its own target of raising £250m in five years with a final total of £261.4m.

The yearly race has been the largest annual single day charity event in the world for the last eight years.

Around £77m alone has been raised through the charity donations’ site Virgin Money Giving.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin said: "When Virgin first got involved with the London Marathon we set the bar high and challenged runners to not only complete their 26 miles, but within five years also help raise £250m for good causes.

"This shows that not only have we all risen to that challenge, but during the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon we smashed right through it."
A total of £716m has been raised by marathon runners since the race began in 1981.