London Marathon investment supporting Run Leader development

London Marathon Events have been supporting England Athletics Talent Pathway, in particular the Talent Hubs, for a number of years, however, we have been delighted to recently expand this support into our coach and leader development.

This week, thanks to the support of London Marathon Events, we had two practical Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) courses taking place in London. These targeted participants from under-represented groups to provide opportunities and access to develop their skills as a leader.

The courses will not only develop future leaders personally, but it will also help to boost diverse, female-only running clubs and groups by training enough leaders to enable them to grow and flourish. The two courses will also increase the number of Run Leaders ready to increase participation in the local community.

In addition, we qualified 35 brand-new leaders to take their first step into delivery of our sport through a recent LiRF course taking place in Stratford.

Speaking on this partnership Chris Mallender, England Athletics' Workforce Development Manager, said:

"It is fantastic to be furthering our partnership with London Marathon Events into the coach development space. They have been a fantastic support on the performance side of the sport, investing into our endurance programmes and the Talent Hubs.

I am excited to see how we can build on this relationship to ensure that there are opportunities for participants of all backgrounds and abilities to access our sport, supported by a knowledgeable and passionate community of coaches and leaders."