London Marathon’s youngest participant lost her mum when she was just nine – now she is spending her 18th birthday taking part in the race in her memory
This year’s youngest London Marathon participant is running on her 18th birthday in memory of her mother. Lucy Jones, 17, from Hull, is taking on the 45th annual race alongside her father, Chris Jones.
They’re running in honour of Lucy’s mother, who died when she was just nine years old, and her grandmother, who passed away last year. Lucy, who turns 18 on Sunday (April 27) and has never attempted a marathon before, is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.
She told the Mirror: “I chose Macmillan because my mum passed away from cancer when I was nine. When she was alive, she did a lot of fundraising for Macmillan. She’d do the coffee mornings, and she did happen to raise quite a lot of money for them. It’s been such a big part of my life. So, I thought in memory of her, I would do it for Macmillan, make her proud, and continue to spread awareness about cancer.”
Lucy added: “I know she’d be cheering me on and pushing me to do it.” Her father, who ran the London Marathon in 2017, is fundraising for Asthma + Lung UK. They decided to sign up for the 2025 marathon together after Lucy watched last year’s race on TV at the gym and suggested it.
“I’d done a little bit of running, not really much. I did a few 10ks, but I definitely struggled with them,” Lucy recalls. She knew one of her life goals was to complete the London Marathon, and when she saw it was on her birthday, she loved the idea.
Lucy shared: “I thought it would be quite cool for me to say I ran a marathon when people go, ‘And what did you do on your 18th birthday?’ and people go, ‘Well, I went out on a night out.'” She jokingly added that she wanted the “bragging rights.”
Given her age, Lucy’s dad had to make a few phone calls, but they got the go-ahead, and she remembers feeling scared when they received the confirmation. Now, with a year’s worth of training behind her, Lucy is looking forward to the big day.
“I’m excited to do it. I’m a little bit nervous, but that’s bound to happen. I know the atmosphere and everything will push me through. It’ll be hard, but we’ll get to the finish line, no matter what time it will be, we’ll get there,” she said.
More than 56,000 people are expected to take part in the 45th edition of the London Marathon on Sunday, 27 April, when the event aims to become the world’s biggest marathon. The 26.2-mile event is the world’s largest annual one-day fundraising event, which brings together first-time runners, charity fundraisers, and professional athletes.
The 2026 TCS London Marathon ballot is now open – for your chance to be part of it, sign up at tcslondonmarathon2026.com. The 2026 TCS London Marathon will take place on Sunday 26 April 2026.
