Running
The TCS London Marathon
Join Team Mikaere and run the world’s most iconic marathon through the streets of the UK’s amazing capital city.
Date: Sunday 26th April 2026
Location: London, UK
Distance: Marathon
Fundraising minimum: £2000
Registration Fee £100
Run the TCS London Marathon with the Mikaere Foundation in April 2026
Run the TCS London Marathon and make a difference! One in three children born with NKH won’t see their first birthday. With your help, we e can change this outcome! Conquer this stunning closed road, central London run, one of the big six. This event is a world-renowned marathon that attracts thousands of runners every year.
Date: Sunday 26 April 2026
Registration fee: £100
Location: Pall Mall, London, SW1
Minimum sponsorship: £2000 (excluding gift aid)
Fundraising requirement: At least half of the fundraising goal must be met by January 5th 2026, else you run the risk of losing your place.
Charity Place
Apply for a charity place with the Mikaere Foundation today!
Registration Fee: £100
Fundraising Target: minumum £2000
Date: Sunday 26 April 2026
Already have a place?
If you have a ballot place on the 2026 TCS London Marathon, we’d love to have you on the team!
Join for free, with no minimum fundraising target. We just ask that you raise what you can, so we can keep pushing for a future for children with NKH.
I have questions
What is a charity place and how do I apply?
Applications for our places in the 2026 TCS London Marathon are now open and you can apply for a place here. We have a handful of TCS London Marathon entry places. Due to a high demand for places, we operate an application system.
Unfortunately, we receive more applications than we have places, so we can’t guarantee that everyone who applies will be able to secure a marathon place. An email will be sent to all applicants to let them know the outcome of their application. If you are successful, we ask that you pay a £100 registration fee to confirm your place and pledge to raise a minimum of £2,000 (excl. Gift Aid)
What is the deadline to apply for a charity place?
Our applications are likely to close in July 2025, and we will be allocating places up until January 2026.
Do I need to do anything?
If you’re successful in your application, you’ll be sent an email offering you a place and asking you to complete your registration and pay your £100 registration fee.
Closer to the event taking place, charity place runners will also receive an invite from London Marathon Events asking them to complete their secondary registration form online for the 2026 TCS London Marathon. We’ll send you an email at the same time, reminding you to complete this registration.
London Marathon Events will announce specific deadlines for this closer to the time, however we expect this secondary registration process to open in late 2025. Please note, if you don’t complete your second stage registration before the deadline, you will not be able to participate on race day.
We also ask you to raise 50% of your fundraising goal by January to keep your place. This requires active fundraising efforts and that you don’t leave it to the last minute. We ask that at least £1000 is raised by January 5th, or you risk losing your place to someone who is able to actively fundraise. If your spot is reallocated, your funds are committed and your registration fee is nonrefundable.
– dedicated support from our event co-ordinator, Elly
– a fundraising guide with advice, hints, and tips
– access to Coopah, a training app to help you prepare
– a personalised Mikaere Foundation running vest or tshirt with your name
– an amazing race day experience, with cheerers along the course
– the knowledge that because of your fundraising, we’re able to make a real, tangible difference into the research that can be done so one day, an NKH diagnosis will not be so devastating.
Roles vary from making as much noise as possible at a cheer point to supporting fundraising events. We’ll provide you with a Mikaere Foundation t-shirt and all you need to bring on the day is your enthusiasm!
Every penny you raise from your event will help build a future for children with Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH) – a rare and terminal metabolic disorder – and we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Fundraising ideas
Organising another fundraising activity alongside your main challenge will help you smash your goal. Here are some ideas:
– host a quiz
– arrange a raffle
– hold a sweepstake on how long your challenge will take, or the distance you’ll achieve
– organise a bake sale at home, at work or in your community
– create a sponsored playlist, where supporters donate to add their choice of song
Your fundraising welcome pack
Once you’ve signed up for your challenge, we’ll send you a fundraising welcome pack that’s full of advice on how to meet – and beat – your target.
Enthuse
Your enthuse page will be created automatically when you are registered with TCS London Marathon. You’ll be sent a link to personalise your fundraiser, and you can share your link with family, friends and colleagues, and watch the donations roll in. You’ll be sent a link that you can use to sign in.
You can use Enthuse to explain why you’re taking on your challenge for the Mikaere Foundation, keep track of how much you’ve raised, and even share your training progress using Strava so your supporters can see how well you’re doing. The more you update and share your Enthuse page, the more donations you’ll receive.
Gift Aid
If your supporters are UK taxpayers and their donation is voluntary (not proceeds of a sale), we can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated – at no extra cost to them. Make sure they fill in the Gift Aid form in your fundraising pack or tick the correct boxes if they’re donating online.
Sending in your donations
If you’re fundraising through Enthuse, the donations will automatically come to us. If you’ve got cash to pay in, you can do this at mikaerefoundation.org/pay-in, by bank transfer or by post.
One in three children born with Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH) won’t see their first birthday. For those that do, they are likely to be profoundly disabled, with an average life span of 5-8 years. An NKH diagnosis is brutal, it’s a rare and terminal metabolic disorder no parent would wish for their child. With your support, one day, we’ll be able to give every child born with NKH a future.
What happens if I don’t reach my fundraising target?
Don’t worry – we’ll help you get there! We’ll offer you lots of fundraising support in the run-up to the London Marathon and in the days after to ensure that you achieve your minimum fundraising target, including going through your fundraising plan beforehand.
All we ask is that you are an active fundraising and don’t leave it to the last minute. We ask that at least £1000 is raised by January 5th, or you risk losing your place to someone who is able to actively fundraise. If your spot is reallocated, your funds are committed and your registration fee is nonrefundable.
The Mikaere Foundation have paid for these charity places as an investment against your fundraising, as it’s your fundraising that allows us to support children with NKH, a rare and terminal metabolic disorder.
Do I get a vest to wear on the day?
Yes – whether you have your own place or a charity place, just fill in the form to request your running top or vest. We’ll send it out approximately three weeks before race day.
What is a ballot place?
The ballot is a random draw that allocates places directly through the race organiser’s website. If you are successful in the ballot and pay your registration fee place to the event organisers, you’ll have your ballot place and can choose to support us by filling in the ‘I have my own place’ form. With a successful ballot place, there is no minimum fundraising requirement – just raise as much as you can to support more families facing NKH.
What is a charity place? A charity place is a place purchased from the event organisers by the Mikaere Foundation. If you did not apply for the ballot or were unsuccessful, you can still take part in the event with a charity place by filling in the ‘Charity place’ form above
You will be required to pay a registration fee to help cover part of the cost that the Mikaere Foundation pays for your place. There is also a minimum fundraising requirement of £2000 to ensure that we raise as much as possible so we can support children and families who live with NKH
What is an own place?
An own place secures your general entry to the event by purchasing a place directly through the race organiser’s website. If you have your own place you can choose to support us by filling in the ‘I have my own place’ form. With your own place, there is no minimum fundraising requirement – just raise as much as you can to support more families facing NKH
Will The Mikaere Foundation be there on the day?
Yes! We look forward to supporting you on event day and giving you a huge boost along the route at our Mikaere Foundation branded cheer point. In the past, we have had a post-event meet up to celebrate your incredible achievement and thank you for your support!
Definitions
“The Mikaere Foundation/We/Us/Our” means The Mikaere Foundation (Registered Charity Number 1200720) of 90 York Road. The charity that has reserved Your place in the Event.
“You/Your/Yourself” means the person agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions and who is using a Mikaere Foundation place to take part in an Event.
“Event” means the TCS London Marathon
“Event Organiser” means the company : London Marathon Events Limited. (company number 01528489) responsible for organising the London Marathon.
“Fee” means the registration fee that You are required to pay to confirm Your place in the Event.
1. Participation
i. You acknowledge that participation in the Event may be physically demanding and You are aware of the nature of the Event and associated medical and physical risks involved.
ii. You agree that you are physically capable of taking part in the Event and agree to be solely responsible for your actions and save as provided elsewhere in these terms and conditions. The Mikaere Foundation are not responsible for any injury or illness that You may suffer as a result of Your participation in the Event.
iii. The minimum age of entry is 17 years at the date of the event.
iv. You have read, agree to and accept the Event Organiser’s General Conditions of Entry. To the extent there is any conflict with these terms and conditions, the terms of the General Conditions of Entry shall prevail.
2. Bookings, Payments and Your obligations
i. You shall complete the Mikaere Foundation Application Form. On successful application You will submit payment of the Entry Fee of £100.00. You may also be required to register Your place on the Event directly with the Event Organiser.
ii. You shall not be eligible or entitled to participate in the Event and no binding contract shall exist between You and Us until We have provided You with written confirmation that the application was successful and full payment of the Entry Fee has been received.
iii. In order to take part in the Event, you pledge to raise £100 excluding Gift Aid. You agree to pay all sponsorship monies to Mikaere Foundation within 42 days of the date of Event.
iv. You also agree to:
i. Notify Us immediately and within 7 days of an event or incident that results in you being unable to take part in the event (whether medical or otherwise).
ii. Comply with any rules or regulation relating to the Event as We or the Event Organiser may notify You of from time to time
iii. Follow all instructions given to Us, the Event Organiser and any of Our or the Event Organiser’s agents, employees or workers, or any referees, stewards or other event officials in respect of the Event.
3. Withdrawal, Cancellations or Alterations
i. The Fee is non-refundable and non-transferable to other persons or event year under any circumstances save that We may in our discretion refund the Fee in limited circumstances such as:
i. The Event is cancelled by the Event Organiser provided that We receive a refund on sums We paid to the Event Organiser for the relevant places in the Event;
ii. Any other circumstances in which, in the opinion of The Mikaere Foundation, it would be reasonable to provide a refund. The decision of The Mikaere Foundation on this matter is final.
iii. You acknowledge that Mikaere Foundation places are limited, and payment of the Fee and reservation of the place affects expenditure of Mikaere Foundation and charity income for the Event. Notice of withdrawal from the Event must be communicated by emailing hello@mikaerefoundation.org within 7 days of an event or incident that results in you being unable to take part in the event.
iii. If you have purchased a charity place with Mikaere Foundation but need to withdraw from the sporting event, Mikaere Foundation cannot guarantee you a deferral to the following event year. All deferral requests must be communicated in writing by emailing hello@mikaerefoundation.org and it will be at the discretion of Mikaere Foundation if you are successful.
i. All successful deferral applicants will not be refunded their Fee, however their fundraising can be transferred to their new event date. All deferral applicants will need to repay their Fee for their new event date. Please be aware the cost of the Fee may increase and you are obliged to pay the updated Fee cost.
iv. Your place in the Event is personal to You and You may not transfer it or any of Your other rights or obligations to any other person without our prior written consent and provided that the Event Organiser consents to such transfer.
v. Places on the Event are strictly limited and are subject to availability. We may refuse entry to remove or exclude or cancel Your place in the Event if:
i. We consider that your participation in the Event will bring the Event, the Event Organiser or The Mikaere Foundation into disrepute or otherwise damage the reputation of The Mikaere Foundation, the Event or the Event Organiser
ii. The Event Organiser refuses entry at any time.
Publicity and Results
i. You understand that The Mikaere Foundation may take photograph and video images of you on the day of the Event. You hereby agree that The Mikaere Foundation may use any such images to promote The Mikaere Foundation, its charitable aims, the Event and future events, whether on its website or in publicity material (both electronic and hardcopy) or on websites and publicity material of third parties. The Mikaere Foundation owns all rights in any images and publicity material created by The Mikaere Foundation and you shall obtain no rights in relation to the same.
5. Data Protection
i. By entering into this agreement, You agree that any personal information provided by You or collected about You in connection with the Event may be held and used by Us in relation to the Event.
ii. You also agree that the personal information provided by You may be shared with:
i. The Event Organiser who may use it in connection with the organisation and/or administration of the Event or for other reasons associated with the Event.
ii. and in the case of the Event Organiser, we may share the personal information before we have determined whether Your application has been successful.
iii. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that Your data is treated securely and in accordance with privacy policy: mikaerefoundation.org/privacy-policy
iv. You agree to inform The Mikaere Foundation of any changes to the information supplied in Your original application as soon as such changes occur.
v. We will be the data controller of the information which You provide Us or which we obtain in relation to the Event and the Event Organiser will be an independent data controller of any information which We pass on to them pursuant to clause 5ii.
We understand that things might not always go to plan, and we ask that you reach out to us as soon as possible if you are unable to take part.
If you have raised at least 50% of your fundraising commitment (£1,000, excluding Gift Aid), you will be given the option to defer* your place to the following year. If you choose to defer*, you will need to re-pay the registration fee, and your fundraising will be deferred and will count towards the new event.
Mikaere Foundation Charity places can only be deferred once, and all registration fees paid are non-refundable and non-transferable. If you have raised less than 50% of your fundraising commitment, you will need to reapply when our applications for the Mikaere Foundation Charity places open for the following year.
*Deferrals are at the discretion of the Charity and are subject to there being enough places in the following year’s event. The Charity reserves the right to refuse a deferral request.
Please reach out to the team on hello@mikaerefoundation.org if you have any further questions.
The Course
Why we need you
The Mikaere Foundation needs your support more than ever. By fundraising, you’ll help fund:
- Groundbreaking research into effective treatment and gene therapy therapy for Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH) – drastically changing the outcome for children born with NKH.
- Support services for children and families living with NKH. With NKH comes seizures, dystonia, pain and developmental delay.
- Outreach to newly diagnosed families, so they have support in their corner, right when they need it.
- Getting NKH specific information to families, nurses, therapists, carers and doctors.
£50
could fund special restriction enzymes, used in NKH Research. These work like molecular scissors to cut up the long strands of DNA in our cells. This is vital in helping us learn more about the genetic mutations of NKH.
£100
could fund a months worth of outreach, providing NKH information to newly diagnosed families right when they need it most.
£1250
could fund a week of a post doc researcher, analysing sample assays, which tell us if NKH gene therapy is working in our models, getting us closer to a cure.