Schools running the TCS London Mini Marathon
This year, we have been working with the London Marathon Events in order to bring the excitement of the London Marathon and the benefits of running into BPET schools.
Working closely with their Children and Young People Engagement Lead, Frances White, who provided all support needed, some schools took up the challenge in their own school settings, whilst others headed to The Mall for the big day, just ahead of the global adult event of the 26 April.
The Mini Marathon in School offers the opportunity to all schools in the country to take part in their own setting. TCS provides schools with certificates, bunting, medals and a trophy, which really helps in creating a sense of being part of a bigger event, across the whole country. Braywick Court School enrolled 30 children in the race, with Maple Class completing a daily mile challenge everyday for the week, in order to build muscles, stamina and resilience. The non-participating pupils created some brilliant banners to support their peers in the race, re-creating the supportive atmosphere felt in the capital during such events.
TCS London Mini Marathon 2026
Whitehall Park School and Watling Park School headed straight down to The Mall on Sat 25 April - together with other 19,000 children from all over the UK - to run 2.6K together with a handful of parents who joined in the race, whom apparently were quickly left behind!
After a warm up with Joe Wicks on the Horse Guards Parade, the pupils headed for their circuit around St James Park and crossing the finishing line on The Mall amongst cheering, clapping and general encouragement. Every child left the race feeling inspired and enthusiastic, having gone through this great event with their school mates.
To top it all off, on Sunday 26 April, BPET Chief Executive Mark Greatrex ran the full marathon! He said: "All children benefit from and broadly enjoy improving their physical stamina through running - they feel fitter, concentrate more in class and even sleep better! Across BPET schools, pupils have been tacking part in the virtual Mini London Marathon with two school running 2.6K of the actual event course, finishing on The Mall. We are passionate about all children understanding the power of physical activity and the many benefits this brings."
Frances White, from the London Marathon Foundation, said: "It's been fantastic to work with BPET to bring the magic of the London Marathon to their schools. On Saturday at the TCS Mini London Marathon over 19,000 children crossed the iconic finish line alongside thousands of parents, careers and teachers. A huge congratulations to everyone from BPET who took part and I look forward to continuing to support the schools to inspire activity. "
Huge congratulations to all the children, their families, and staff who took part on Saturday! What an incredible few days for our community through the TCS London Marathon events. Our athletes' enthusiasm, efforts, energy and resilience were inspiring: whether running a mile or 26, each of them showed what it means to challenge oneself and take on a big task!
More BPET schools will be running their in-school challenge this week, and we can't wait to hear about their experience! Planning for next year, in order to widen engagement across every BPET school, have already started - stay tuned!
