London Marathon
Run for nature, run for Earthwatch Europe!
Already managed to secure a ballot space for the London Marathon 2026 and want to raise funds for us? Contact our Fundraising Team today!
Stories from the London Marathon 2025
Huge congratulations to our London Marathon 2025 runners, Amy, Anna, James, Katie, Sasha and Tom, who successfully completed the marathon on Sunday 27 April!
Here is how one of our runners, Katie, experienced the day:
Running past the Earthwatch cheer point at mile 25 was amazing, thank you for being there! And lovely to getting to meet the team in person at the celebration in the pub afterwards!
Fighting for a better freshwater future
It was a special weekend which saw the London Marathon coincide with our April Great UK WaterBlitz. A huge thank you to those of our runners (including our Director of Science & Policy, Dr Sasha Woods) who also made time to go out and test the water quality of their local rivers, lakes, ponds and streams in-between the final preparations for the big marathon day!
With our marathon cheer point being right next to the Thames, we also used the opportunity to test the famous river for nutrient pollution… with worrying results! High phosphate and nitrate levels indicated poor ecological health. This shows that the time to save our rivers and other precious freshwater bodies is now! The Great UK WaterBlitz returns in September 2025, encouraging people across the UK to help collect valuable data that can be used to fight for real change. Find out more.
Why run for Earthwatch?
For over 30 years, Earthwatch Europe has been working with people to monitor, protect and restore nature. And our approach gets results!
We work where we can have the biggest impact – in our towns and cities, our farmed fields and throughout our network of rivers, lakes and wetlands. By working with communities across these three areas, we can build a movement to create a world where we live in balance with nature.
Funds raised by our marathon runners make a big difference and fuel our work. The next 30 years will be a critical time for our planet – as communities reverse the decline of nature in their cities, countryside and rivers.
Nature is fundamental – yet so many people are disconnected from it. What better charity to support in the London Marathon than Earthwatch Europe; they connect people with nature, motivate them to protect the environment and provide them with the knowledge and tools to make change happen!
Katie Samuelson, London Marathon 2025 runner
I was keen to support a charity that has the largest impact on humanity possible. The climate and biodiversity crisis affect every person on earth. Nature needs repairing if we are to bring down emissions, and Earthwatch Europe are doing amazing things here in the UK and around the world to help with this. I was inspired by their stories of citizen scientists helping to collect data to feed into environmental research, and blown away by their Tiny Forest programme supporting wildlife and making our cities greener.
Will Arnold, London Marathon 2023 runner
Joining Team Earthwatch
If you get a place in the London Marathon, Earthwatch can offer the following support:
- Personal support via email from our Fundraising Team
- Training tips from a qualified running coach
- Virtual meetings and exchange with other runners
- Free runners vest sent ahead of the event
- Cheerful support from Earthwatch staff members on the event day
You can also join Team Earthwatch if you get your own place in other running events, we can provide a Earthwatch running vest and fundraising support. Contact our Fundraising Team to find out more.