Run 4 Wales (R4W) and London Marathon Events (LME) have announced an innovative new partnership which brings together the leading mass-participation events organisations in England and Wales, which deliver the most iconic running events in their respective countries, but who also share a common social agenda with an emphasis on inspiring running and activity for adults and children.

R4W was set up in 2012 to promote, manage and deliver world class sporting events in Wales with a positive social impact, championing mental health, women’s running, community regeneration, volunteering, fundraising and environmental sustainability. Its profits are passed to its parent charity, the Run 4 Wales Charitable Foundation, to invest in grassroots athletics and community running projects.

The London Marathon was first held in 1981 and over the last 42 years has become the world’s biggest one day annual fundraising event, with over £1.1 billion raised for good causes. London Marathon Events also organises RideLondon the world’s largest festival of cycling, Swim Serpentine the UK’s largest single day open water swimming event and many other running events that inspire activity in all ages and all demographics.

Like Run 4 Wales, all profits from London Marathon Events are passed to its parent charity, the London Marathon Charitable Trust, to invest in grassroots sports and community projects with a particular focus on inspiring young people under 25 and more socially disadvantaged groups to get active.

The new partnership, where London Marathon Events takes a 50% shareholding in Run 4 Wales, will help Run 4 Wales expand its portfolio of events, enabling it to increase its impact, especially in inspiring more children to become active and broadening further the diversity of participation in its events.

Matt Newman, CEO of R4W, said:

“This exciting new partnership between Run 4 Wales and London Marathon Events is a huge opportunity for the growth of our events and our social impact in Wales. It offers R4W the chance to leverage the scale of London Marathon Events’ resources, database, experience and social impact for the benefit of Wales, securing our future in this challenging recovery phase for the sports events sector.”

Nick Bitel, CEO of LME, said:

“Our organisations and parent charities share a common vision and ambition to inspire activity in all ages and demographics and a passionate belief in the power of sport as a force for social good. In particular, we look forward to working with R4W, and its partner organisations in Wales, to inspire and champion physical activity in primary and special schools across Wales. Together, we can make a profound difference to this generation.”